We don’t know yet what caused Squires, who was 30, to die where
she fell, just metres from the finish line. We do know, however,
that in the days since she ran on Sunday, the hairdresser from
Leicestershire has changed more lives than she could have thought
possible, revealing the story of a family struck by tragedies. In
death, she has also inspired a spirit of giving that, via the power
of the internet, has linked strangers from all over the world.
Squires’s mother, Cilla, was the first person to leave a
donation on her page at JustGiving.com. She wrote: “Good luck bear
and thanks, love you xxx”. By last night, that £50 was approaching
£600,000 as more than 50,000 people donated to the Samaritans.
Every hour, £20,000 was being pledged on her page by 2,000 people.
Some were anonymous, many were fellow runners, others had been
touched by Squires and the terrible fate of her family.
“Words cannot explain what an incredible, inspirational,
beautiful and driven person she was,” they said yesterday in a
statement. “She was loved by so many and is dearly missed.” Her
boyfriend, Simon Van Herrewege, 31, told the London Evening
Standard: “She had a heart of gold. I love her more than words can
say and she will be dearly missed.”
Squires had been inspired to support the Samaritans, which helps
anyone in distress, in part by her mother, a volunteer for the
charity for 24 years, and by the fate of her brother. Grant
Squires, an electrician, was 25 when, in 2001, he died of a drugs
overdose. He had been depressed after surviving a car crash in
which his girlfriend had been killed.
The shock drove Squires, who had three sisters, Maxine, 38,
Nicola, 32, and Penelope, 28, towards a life of giving. This was
her second marathon and, in 2010, she climbed Kilimanjaro in
Tanzania, the highest mountain in Africa, to raise money for the
RAF Association.
Squires was part of a boom in fundraising through sporting
endeavour – in marathons, triathlons and cycle rides – powered by
the internet. More than 80 per cent of the 37,000 participants in
Sunday’s event were running to raise money, using sites such as
JustGiving and Virgin Money Giving. But while demands on our
pockets seem to grow just as our wealth dwindles, Squires defied
the recession and a rising sense of sponsorship fatigue among some
would-be donors. Here was a vibrant woman who died while honouring
her brother. We didn’t know her, but we could do something in her
name.
JustGiving, which was founded in 2000, said it had never
processed as many pledges in a single day, as people were directed
to its site by traditional as well as social media. The private
company agreed to waive its usual donation fees of up to 6.5 per
cent.
The Charity Market Monitor showed donations to the 500 biggest
fundraising charities had fallen by £70m last year. The Samaritans
received £3.8m from individuals in 2011 but stands to gain much
more thanks to Squires. The charity announced yesterday it would
set up a new fund in the runner’s name.
It must be difficult for her devastated family to cope with the
attention of this well-meaning flood of support. But they are
urging people to keep clicking. Her sister Nicola went on to
another website, Facebook, to write: “Something good has got to
come out of this.”
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