BURGLARS have destroyed a young mum's hopes of running the London marathon for charity after stealing £700 of her fundraising efforts.
Anna South, 26, from Springfield, Chelmsford, has spent months trying to raise the minimum £1,750 required to be eligible to run the marathon in April next year.
But all hopes of helping the Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre were dashed when she returned to her home in Lyster Avenue on Monday – where £700 of the fundraising cash was stored – to discover her home had been broken into.
"Monday night I came home – I had been at my mum's all day – and my little boy had fallen asleep in the car," she said.
"I noticed that my bedroom window was wide open so I automatically thought well, that's a bit strange."
But when Anna went inside she was shocked to discover burglars had destroyed her home – along with months of fundraising.
"I went into the house and everything had been trashed," she said. "I just ran out crying and phoned the police."
Anna dropped her two-year-old son Jack off with a neighbour while she ventured back inside her home.
"I noticed that all of my jewellery had gone missing – literally all of it – and then I realised that all of the money I had raised had also been taken."
Anna decided to apply to run the marathon after watching her grandmother suffer from multiple sclerosis for 30 years.
Then, recently a colleague was also diagnosed with the degenerative disease.
"My nan had MS and I saw her suffering," she said. "Then a friend at work has been diagnosed with it and I wanted to do something."
When Anna found out in May that her application had been successful, she started to raise the £1,750 required to enter the race.
"I have been training since May and fundraising since then, when I was told I had a place," said Anna, who is a civil servant.
"I have done lots of things at work for it – I've done dress-down days and cake sales and everyone at work has helped out."
But without home contents insurance and with police unable to track the culprit through fingerprint or DNA evidence, it looks unlikely that Anna will ever see the money again.
"I'm going to contact my charity about it but I just have to start again," said Anna.
"It's horrible to think I've put in so much effort and people at work have played a massive part in helping me raise money.
"I feel like I've let them all down and it makes me feel terrible because it's not even my money for them to take."
Anna must now start fundraising again from scratch to reach her minimum target.
Can you help Anna's cause, go to www.justgiving.com/Anna-South
