THE daughter of former Hereford United player Danny Williams has inspired Sophie Blandford to tackle her first Virgin London Marathon.

Sophie, 25, was spurred on to raise money for Diabetes UK after her neighbour Lexie Lloyd- Williams was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes just a week before her third birthday.

Lexie’s father Danny Williams, who also played for Chesterfield, is now a football agent.

“Lexie is the most beautiful little girl and has a great fun loving bubbly personality,” said Sophie, who lives in Staunton-on-Wye.

“She is now insulin dependent and relies on her magic mouse to regulate blood sugar levels .”

Sophie’s dad, Mark Blandford, said: “Sophie has never done a marathon and she’s got to break five hours on Saturday for me to give her £500.” Donations can be made through Sophie’s Virgin Money Giving page.