A LOVING mum from Halesowen has been awarded Fundraiser of the Month by the Micro and Anophthalmic Children’s Society charity after organising ‘virtual runs’ and raising a whopping £700.

Tonya McLauchlan came up with the idea in a quest to support her husband Martin’s London Marathon fundraising target for the charity.

She encouraged friends and family to sign up to run or walk 5km or 10km and rewarded them with a medal in exchange for a £10 donation.

Tonya said: “I bought 70 medals and just thought I’d give it a go.

"The response from family, friends, our running club and others was amazing and during February we managed to sign 70 people up to the scheme via social media."

She added: “I feel really emotional by the support shown and chuffed to have been chosen, via a public vote, to be MACS’ Fundraiser of the Month."

MACS is the UK’s national charity for children and adults born without eyes or with underdeveloped eyes, and its services are accessed by more than 1500 individuals around the UK, including parents and carers.

"One of the most important things we do at MACS is to give our members access to a network of other families who have a first hand experience of what they are going through with children born without eyes or with underdeveloped eyes and we support families of children born with Microphthalmia (small eyes), Anophthalmia (no eyes) and/or Coloboma (cleft of the eye)."

She added: "If you are a parent, young person, or health professional, you are in the right place to gain access to essential support and a host of resources including a freephone helpline, financial assistance, respite holidays and practical advice around health and benefits."