A WOMAN from The Meadows will be running next week's Robin Hood half marathon in memory of a friend who died of a rare liver disorder.

Lydia Pearson, 23, had been pals with Sara Bakri since childhood.

They grew up together in Kent and when Lydia left home to study music at the University of Nottingham they remained firm friends.

Sara died in May 2009 at just 21. She was born with Crigler-Najjar syndrome type 1, a congenital liver disease characterised by the absence of a vital enzyme.

She relied on daily phototherapy treatment until she was eight when she had her first liver transplant.

The operation was successful for ten years but Sara needed a second transplant when she was 19 and her health deteriorated.

The half marathon, on September 12, will be Lydia's first long-distance race and she will be raising money for the Children's Liver Disease Foundation, which supports research and helps young people who are ill. The charity was a great support to Sara's mum after her death.

Lydia, who has now graduated and is looking for work in Nottingham, has raised nearly half her £1,000 target so far.

"Sara was great fun. She never let it affect her life and was very outgoing," said Lydia.

Sara won a host of medals in the British Transplant Games for sprinting and swimming and loved dancing.

Her mum, Alison Bakri, who lives in Margate, said: "Lydia has always been a strength and a good friend. She's a very kind person and has been a friend to me since Sara died.

"I was stunned when she told me about the half marathon. It's an incredible gesture."

To support Lydia visit www.justgiving.com/go-liddy-go. For more information about the charity log on to www.childliverdisease.org.