A former Shropshire mother-of-three has turned tragedy into triumph by raising £80,000 for charity after her daughter lost a leg in a road crash.

Sarah Hope, who used to live in Market Drayton, took to the streets of London for a gruelling half marathon and smashed her fundraising forecast of £10,000 on Sunday. The former Market Drayton Junior School pupil took part in the Run to the Beat event in aid of the Limbless Association.

In April 2007, Mrs Hope, 37, was injured in a road crash in London, which claimed the life of her mother Elizabeth Panton, from Market Drayton, and led to her daughter Pollyanna having her right leg amputated.

Mrs Hope, who now lives in Norfolk with her family, started training for the run in February.

She said: “I got on really well and it was tough especially after 10 miles when I found it difficult. What got me through were all the friends and family I had supporting me.”

Early indications show Mrs Hope had pulled in £80,000 for her efforts, but her goal is to raise £100,000 for the charity, she added.

The money she has raised will go towards research for new limbs and to help land mine victims.

A slice of the cash has also been set aside to fund a master’s degree student who is writing a thesis on the psychological impact of losing a limb.

“The LA has helped me a lot and gave me lots of advice and help after my daughter lost her leg in the accident,” Mrs Hope said.

“The master’s student they are funding will hopefully produce a piece of work which tries to make sense of the dreadful tragedy of losing a limb.

“I’ve got to thank all those friends and family and people in Market Drayton and Shrewsbury who knew my mum and have supported me.”

Organisations in Market Drayton to have sponsored Mrs Hope include the town’s golf club, where her mother was a member.

Mrs Hope will also be taking part in next month’s Great South Run in Portsmouth to help her edge closer to achieving her overall fundraising target.

To lend your support log on on to www.justgiving.co m/sarahhope