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Harrogate woman to run 24-hour mountain loop in memory of brother

Thursday, 23 October 2025 08:13

Layla Hirst is taking on an epic fundraising challenge.

A Harrogate woman is taking on a gruelling 24-hour mountain running challenge in memory of her late brother.

Layla Hirst will be running continuous loops of Pen-y-Ghent in the Yorkshire Dales to raise funds for children’s cancer charity Candlelighters.

The challenge will run from 7pm tomorrow (Friday) to 7pm on Saturday 25th October.

She’ll be aiming to complete as many circuits as possible of the 9.3 kilometre route, which includes a 1,600-foot climb.

Layla’s brother, Aidan, was diagnosed with cancer as a teenager and sadly died at the age of 16.

She said that Candlelighters played a crucial role in supporting her family throughout his illness:

“Every year over 150 children are diagnosed with cancer. Our lives were turned around when one of those children was my brother.

“Candlelighters helped support our family through Aidan’s cancer - they provide emotional, physical and financial support to families like ours and bring hope through vital research.”

The charity, which receives no government funding, provides a range of services to families affected by childhood cancer across Yorkshire, from hospital support and family breaks to funding research and equipment.

Layla added:

“Candlelighters even bought Aidan a new laptop while he was in hospital to help take his mind off treatment.

“They rely entirely on donations, so I wanted to do something meaningful to give back.”

Layla is encouraging others to join her for a loop or two over the 24-hour period and is appealing for donations to help her fundraising effort.

Donations can be made through her JustGiving page here: justgiving.com/page/layla-hirst-1

LISTEN: Layla spoke to Your Harrogate's George Dickson about her challenge:

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