Nearly 10 years after Alice Ruggles was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in Gateshead, her childhood friend Lucy Parkinson is preparing to run 250 miles from Newcastle to Leicester to raise money for the Alice Ruggles Trust.
Alice, 24, a Northumbria University graduate, was killed by Trimaan Dhillon in October 2016. Dhillon, a former soldier, subjected her to a campaign of stalking and harassment after their relationship ended.
Nine-day challenge
Lucy, who grew up with Alice in Leicester, will start the nine-day challenge in Newcastle on Saturday, covering just over a marathon each day. She has been training for two years and says the memory of her friend will spur her on.
The 34-year-old said: "I wanted to do something big to mark that 10 years, and to raise as much money as I can for the Alice Ruggles Trust to help them continue doing the amazing job they are doing. There's so much more that needs to be done on stalking. You just don't expect it to happen to someone you know."
Tribute to Alice
Lucy paid tribute to Alice, saying: "She was one of the funniest people I’ve ever known- bright, kind, intelligent and endlessly fun to be around. If you spent time with Alice, you spent a lot of it laughing. It was a horrendous shock what happened."
Dhillon became obsessed with Alice after their split, hacking into her social media accounts and bombarding her with abusive calls, messages and emails. On October 12, 2016, he drove 120 miles from his Army barracks in Edinburgh to her home on Rawling Road in Bensham, where he killed her. He denied murder at Newcastle Crown Court but was convicted and jailed for life.
Trust's work
The Alice Ruggles Trust delivers prevention education programmes to help young people identify signs of stalking and recognise unhealthy behaviours in relationships. It also trains professionals who may encounter victims or perpetrators of stalking, including those in policing, criminal justice, social care and education.
Lucy added: "There has already been plenty of blood, sweat and tears, and I am expecting a lot more to come. Every donation, no matter the size, will support the Alice Ruggles Trust’s work to help prevent what happened to Alice from happening to others."
More than £2,000 has already been donated via Lucy's page on JustGiving.
