A CROSSGATES woman completed a gruelling 12 kilometre obstacle challenge in memory of her brother who lost his battle with leukaemia.

Louise Russell took on the Total Warrior obstacle course in North Berwick to raise hundreds of pounds for blood cancer charity, DKMS.

Her brother, Martin, passed away earlier this year as a result of pneumonia and sepsis which caused by his treatment for leukaemia.

Louise is keen to follow on from her brother's hopes of raising awareness for the charity.

She said: "Martin was really interested in the charity DKMS and planned to raise awareness when he got through his last treatment and out of hospital, when it was all behind him. I feel it's only right to do as much of this for him now as possible since that option was taken away. Total Warrior was a great laugh and such a good way to raise funds and awareness of such a fantastic charity.”

The charity recruits potential blood stem cell donors and is currently the world's largest donor centre, with more than six million registered donors worldwide after being founded in 1991.

Shadia Hameed, Community Fundraising Manager at DKMS, praised Louise for taking part in the challenge, and said: “It is wonderful, and so impressive, that Louise took part in this challenge to help blood cancer patients. Not only has she raised valuable funds for the charity, she helped to raise awareness of the importance of registering as a potential blood stem cell donor and recruiting people to help save lives. It is also a wonderful way to pay tribute to her brother.”