A couple have raised thousands for earthquake-stricken communities in Morocco after running more than four marathons in a day between them.
Matt and Becky Vermeer set off on the mammoth challenge to raise funds for remote Moroccan communities after spending time in the country earlier this year with their three children.
Their fundraising will see money pumped directly into communities in need as they look to rebuild after the natural disaster.
Becky, 43, from Saltdean, said: “It was exhausting and emotional but I’m immensely proud to be doing something so positive.
“I hope that my children have taken on board the positive message and how important it is to show some humanity and I think it has been very eye-opening for them.
“The money is going straight into the communities. It will help to buy all sorts of things that we take for granted.”
Matt, 40, said he and Becky and their three children had been trekking through the Atlas Mountains in Morocco just days before the devastating earthquake hit the country on September 8.
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The family stayed with residents in a Berber village in the mountains which has since been partly destroyed by the quake. They have been able to contact the people they stayed with and confirmed they are alive but the village is now in the process of rebuilding their home.
Matt and Becky each ran for 12 hours across Saturday and Sunday with the couple alternating between running for an hour and then taking a break for an hour.
Matt says that he ran nearly 70 miles across his 12-hour stint and between them they covered the equivalent of more than four marathons, doing laps of Hove Lawns.
They set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the cause with donations hitting more than £5,000.
The money will be used to help buy essentials including warm clothing, materials to help rebuild the village and help to renovate schools and other buildings.
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