Birkenhead teacher runs Marathon in memory of former pupil

Claire Lester at the London Marathon

A teacher at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Birkenhead, on the Wirral, has raised over £3,000 for Claire House after running a marathon in memory of a pupil who passed away.

Claire Lester, Year 2 teacher and key stage lead at the Oxton primary school, ran the 2025 London Marathon in honour of past pupil, Evie Skerrett, who lost her life 10 years after being diagnosed with a rare brain tumour.

Raising £3,100 for Claire House Children's Hospice, which looked after Evie for many years before she passed, Claire completed the marathon in less than four hours, beating her previous personal best set 20 years ago by two minutes.

Commenting on her achievement, Claire said: "I was extremely proud to have run the London Marathon in memory of Evie. She was a beautiful, bubbly little girl who was in the same class as my son throughout her time at St Joseph's. I first ran the marathon in 2000 and this year I managed to beat my time by two minutes. Whilst there were many challenging moments during the three hours and 49 minutes that I was running, I knew I had to keep going for Evie."

Evie was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2010 when she was five years old and attended St Joseph's Catholic Primary School from reception to Year 6. She passed away when she was just 14 years old.

Before running the marathon, Claire reached out to Evie's mum, Jo Skerrett, who was delighted when she found out the news that Claire was running the marathon in memory of her daughter.

Jo added: "It's so lovely to know that St Joseph's continue to remember Evie and I would like to thank Claire for all that she has done to raise funds for Claire House who supported us through the toughest of times."

In the lead up to Claire running the marathon, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School supported her fundraising efforts alongside her running group Wirral Striders, Oxton Tennis Club and her family. Parents of the Year 2 class she teaches also began a collection for her. All of which contributed to Claire surpassing her fundraising goal and raising 517 per cent of the initial £600 target.

Head of school at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Alex Turner, commented: "We're all extremely proud of Claire's achievements. She did an amazing job and raised a fantastic amount of money for a charity that is very close to our hearts."

The pupils of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School tracked Claire whilst she ran the gruelling 26.2 miles and celebrated her success when she returned to school with her medal.

Lucian, a pupil of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, said: "It's the greatest run I've ever seen - I want to do it when I'm big enough!"

Poppy, another pupil, added: "Mrs Lester is a star and very brave for running the marathon."

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is part of the Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust (HFCMAT) which is comprised of nine schools, including two secondary and seven primary schools, across Wirral and Cheshire.

CEO of HFCMAT, Andy Moor, added: "Everyone at Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust extends a huge congratulations to Claire for her recent achievements. She is a great teacher who embodies our vision of inspiration at HFCMAT and has encouraged both staff and students alike to embrace opportunities."

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Oxton, Birkenhead, is part of the Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust.

LINK

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School: www.stjosephscatholicprimarybirkenhead.co.uk/