When Dawlish animal lover Melanie Goslin decided to run a marathon for charity, she didn't let the Covid-19 pandemic or a knee injury get in her way.

She completed the 26-mile run on a treadmill in her garage, and raised £1,860.92 for the local rescue centre Animals In Distress.

Melanie has four rescue cats named Lemonie, Isolella, Pelagia and Makeba, along with a rescue tortoise called Flash Magick-Shell, a Labrador named Hobbs, and four chickens.

She is a strong supporter of the Ipplepen-based animal rescue centre, and was particularly keen to fundraise for the charity after it lost so much money because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Originally planned to run London Marathon

Melanie, a nurse who has been working throughout the lockdown period in both a local care home and for the NHS at Barton Practice, originally planned to run the London Marathon, a personal ambition of hers.

She took up running several years ago, starting with the Couch to 5K and progressing to Race for Life and a few half-marathons.

When the London Marathon had to be called off, she resolved to run the distance anyway, and even the painful knee injury didn't put her off undertaking the challenge on Sunday, October 4.

She said: "The point of doing the treadmill is that I was at home and could rest or stop if I needed to due to pain.

"But in actual fact, due to lots of friends visiting me (at a safe social distance), it was not as arduous as I expected!

"I was delighted to raise so much money for AiD.

"There are so many animals that need homes in the south west and having a place like Animals In Distress to care for them until they're rehomed is so important.

"I feel that we are all responsible for the welfare of domestic animals and should give them the opportunity of a loving home, just like us.

"I was really excited to take on this challenge for such a worthy cause."

Community support 'invaluable' to animal charity

Emma Boulton, Community and Events Fundraiser at Animals in Distress, said: "What a phenomenal lady Melanie is and we're so grateful to her for choosing to support Animals is Distress.

"The support we gain from people like Melanie in our community is invaluable and it is thanks to them that we are able to provide a safe, loving and comfortable environment for the animals in our care until they find their perfect new home."