A GREAT British Bake Off finalist has completed a virtual marathon and raised a staggering £25,000 in honour of her father who is being treated for terminal cancer at Dorset County Hospital.

2019 Great British Bake Off finalist, Steph Blackwell, completed the virtual London marathon with her uncle, John Blackwell, the leader of the Red Arrows from 1982-84, on Sunday.

The pair took on the challenge to raise money for DCH and Cancer Research UK in honour of Steph’s father and John’s younger brother, Roger Blackwell, from Charlton Down, who is being treated at the local hospital for terminal bowel cancer.

Steph said: “When I found out my dad had been diagnosed with cancer it was so shocking and upsetting so it was great to channel all that energy into doing the marathon. I loved doing the event so much and I am so proud of what John and I managed to achieve.

“The whole way round I was possessed - when I’ve got a mission I’m just on it and there was no stopping us. There is no way I would have been able to do it without John, though. He was incredible and we looked after each other the whole way round.”

Steph, 29, and John, 70, have raised more than £21,000 and they are expecting a further £3,500 donation from Fitbit, a health and fitness technology company. The pair have chosen to donate 20 per cent of the money they have raised to DCH - roughly £5,000.

Steph said: “The staff working at DCH have been incredible and we owe a lot of thanks to them. It’s really important to John and I that we give some of the money that we raised to DCH.”

The pair are planning on taking on more challenges to continue their fundraising. Steph said: “Part of the emotion of completing the marathon comes from me wanting a distraction and to channel my stress and sadness into something positive for my dad and I.

“I’m looking at other things to do to keep giving back. If for every mountain my dad has to climb we can be there fighting with him then that makes it all worthwhile.

Donate to Steph and John’s justgiving page at cruk.org/steph