The owner of a popular north Suffolk restaurant has raised nearly £3,000 for a worthy cause.

Former Halesworth town councillor Karen Prime laced up her running shoes to take on the London Marathon and raise funds for charity.

Mrs Prime, who owns Edwards Restaurant, presented a cheque for £2,761 to staff from the charity last week.

Beccles & Bungay Journal: Left to right: Seva Newick (Pear Tree Centre manager), Karen Prime, Dinah Morley (Pear Tree Fund chair) and Nikki Sawkins (Pear Tree Fund trustee).Left to right: Seva Newick (Pear Tree Centre manager), Karen Prime, Dinah Morley (Pear Tree Fund chair) and Nikki Sawkins (Pear Tree Fund trustee). (Image: Sarah Patchett)

It comes after she completed the 26.2 mile challenge on Sunday, October 2, in four hours and 47 minutes.

Mrs Prime plans to keep her fundraising page open for a further month in the hope of increasing the total raised to £3,000.

Beccles & Bungay Journal: Karen Prime after completing the London Marathon.Karen Prime after completing the London Marathon. (Image: Karen Prime)

She said: “I chose the Pear Tree Fund as my charity of choice for 2022 because it has not only helped family members but also close friends and several of my customers.

"It is a great asset to the community as they not only look after the whole family during an illness, but also after a bereavement and beyond.

“Halesworth is a very special place with a very strong community that looks out for each other and the Pear Tree Centre is a great place to help assist and help carry on caring for people in the community.”

The money raised will help the Pear Tree Fund to support people who have been bereaved or have life-changing illnesses or long-term physical or mental health conditions, as well as their families or carers.

This includes providing a wide range of services such as information and support to help understand diagnosis, counselling, bereavement support and complementary treatments. The charity also offers social welfare advice, including benefits and support with finances, as well as support for families, children and young carers.

Kevin Vaughan, chief executive, said: “We are hugely grateful to Karen for choosing to support our charity and completing this phenomenal challenge. She should be incredibly proud of her achievement.”

To sponsor Karen, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/karen-prime.