Jane's appeal smashes £2m target

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The charity set up by fundraiser Jane Tomlinson before she died of cancer has exceeded her target of raising £2m.

Her husband Mike Tomlinson said Jane's Appeal had now raised £2.6m for children's and cancer charities - more than 400 times their initial aim.

The mother-of-three from Rothwell, Leeds, raised £1.75m in a series of endurance events before she lost her battle with cancer in September 2007.

Mr Tomlinson said the appeal had now set a new target of £5m.

"I can't imagine how we're going to get there but I know with support we have a fighting chance," he said.

"When in August 2000 Jane was told to go home, spend some time with her family, create some memories, as she was unlikely to live beyond six months, no-one could have predicted what happened next.

The words thank you seem so inadequate but I hope they will be accepted by all who have helped get us to where we are today Mike Tomlinson, widower of Jane Tomlinson

"Jane's achievements from 2002 to 2007 were extraordinary."

Mr Tomlinson said his family, including the couple's children Suzanne, 23, Rebecca, 20, and 11-year-old Steven, were "committed to continuing the work Jane started".

"We hope we've created a vehicle that can make a huge difference to people's lives," he said.

"The words thank you seem so inadequate but I hope they will be accepted by all who have helped get us to where we are today."

Mrs Tomlinson was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990 and had a mastectomy and lymph nodes removed from under her arm.

The cancer returned in her breast in 1993 and spread to her lungs and bones in 2000, when doctors told her she only had months to live.

But Mrs Tomlinson, an NHS radiographer, defied the experts and spent the next seven years raising money for charity through challenges including marathons, triathlons, the legendary Iron Man contest, a tandem cycle ride from Rome to Leeds and a bike ride across America, from San Francisco to New York.

She was awarded the MBE for her work in June 2003 and later made a CBE.