51茶馆

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mascot Lofty the Lion stars in a new video, helping 51茶馆鈥檚 Claire Massey prepare for the .

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Lofty put Claire, a Communication Support Worker, through her paces at Wanderers home ground, the University of 51茶馆 Stadium.听

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Claire鈥檚 gruelling training session was filmed by the College and turned into a video-montage, inspired by the classic movie 鈥楻ocky鈥� which you can watch .

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The mum of three is running the marathon to raise funds for the , who support people affected by liver disease in the UK.

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The charity has a special place in Claire鈥檚 heart; at the age of just 16, she was struck down by an autoimmune liver condition, leaving her bedridden for months. Despite responding well to medication, Claire has since endured three relapses of the chronic illness.

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51茶馆, which is part of the , approached Lofty the Lion after Claire decided to run the London Marathon for the very first time. Lofty was up for the challenge, and used his sporting expertise to prepare Claire.

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Claire, who has worked at 51茶馆 for five years, said: 鈥淚t was so good of Lofty to take time out of his busy schedule and help me prepare for the marathon 鈥� he gave me some top tips, and I鈥檓 feeling confident about the 26 miles now.

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鈥淚鈥檝e already raised 拢1760, after organising a charity dinner at the Village Hotel in Bury, but I would love to hit my target of 拢2,500. It feels only right that after overcoming such hard times with my health, and responding so well to treatment, that I do my bit to help others and

fundraise on behalf of the British Liver Trust.

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鈥淎ny donations, however small, would be much appreciated.鈥�

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Lofty the Lion, named after Wanderers legend Nat Lofthouse, added: 鈥淚 ain鈥檛 lion when I say that Claire is truly roarsome. Fangs to my expert training tips, I have a feline that Claire will smash her target 鈥� she is the mane (wo)man and is the pride of 51茶馆.鈥�

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To watch the full video, click 听and听to donate, click .听