The appeal has been launched, the target has been announced, and the fundraisers have been dispatched.

But when it comes to Bedford Hospitals Charity's Duckling Appeal, the hard work has already begun for 13 hardy souls, with their sights set on next month's London Marathon.

And with the 26 miles to be tackled, the training is well and truly under way – with the charity's famous 'breakfast runs', organised by former hospital nurse Jude Cottam and her husband Chris, both members of the Bedford Harriers running club.

Jude said: "We have had runners doing the marathon for the charity since the early 1990s. Nowadays, if charities want to start having marathon places there is a 15-year waiting list, so we are pleased to already have our places.

"This is a local charity.

I always refer to the NHS giving the hospital a slice of cake as funding. What the charity does is put the icing on the top, and the cherry.

"I've been coordinating the runners for five years. It was the history of running within our household which attracted me to it, and it's something I see myself doing for a long time."

This year's runners will be raising money in aid of the Duckling Appeal, to raise £200,000 to pay for a complete refurbishment of Bedford Hospital's maternity unit, Cygnet Wing.

The runners are taken out by Chris once a month, with each outing gradually building up their speed and distance.

And they are joined by other marathon entrants who are raising money for other causes too – so long as they make a donation to the charity's funds.

This year's hospital charity runners include a mix of sexes, ages and levels of experience, as well as our own news editor Ben Raza who is doing the race for the charity for the second time.

Justine Fisher is part of this year's team, despite signing up with only the experience of one half-marathon under her belt. She has set her sights on finishing in under five hours.

Speaking after finishing her first breakfast run, she said: "I've found the breakfast runs quite hard so far. I did 11 miles today, which is quite an achievement for me being an ex-smoking asthmatic.

"I am feeling quite tired now, but it is nice to come back to Jude's for a cooked breakfast."


To meet the marathon runners and read why they are running the race, click here


To learn more about this year's Bedford Hospital's Charity appeal, click here