The leader of The Salvation Army in Maldon will take on the London Marathon next month to raise funds for the charity. 

Lieutenant Anastasia Layton will join thousands of runners on April 27 pounding the streets of the capital in a bid to make a difference.

She'll be raising money for The Salvation Army's work in Maldon and for its work supporting recovering survivors of modern slavery.

Anastasia, 23, says she is a keen runner and explained why she has chosen to raise money for the two causes.

She explained: "Having been ordained in the summer, I've only just arrived in Maldon. It's a steep learning curve but I'm really enjoying it and being out with the people.

"The Salvation Army does great work In Maldon and I want to raise money to help us run our programme and expand our facilities.

"We're running a new youth group to help our young people feel safe and have a space to explore who they are and what they believe. 

"I'd love to reach out to more families in our community, to help parents and children feel supported and cared for and give them opportunity to talk about faith in a relaxed atmosphere."

Anastasia is also raising money in support of The Salvation Army's Survivor Support Fund which provides crucial assistance to survivors of modern slavery as they rebuild their lives and move towards independent living. 

This fund provides additional help to survivors of modern slavery, over and above the specialist support The Salvation Army delivers through a Government contract, helping with anything from equipment or training to secure work, therapeutic activities, such as sport, to aid wellbeing and practical items for survivors with young children or those moving into their own homes.

She added: "We do amazing work. I don't think it's spoken about enough or people realise what a big issue it is. I learnt a lot about what we do in college and I really admire what The Salvation Army does."

With the start line drawing ever nearer, Anastasia can't wait for the big day to come around.

She added: "This is the first marathon I have done so it will be a real challenge but I think it is going to be so worth it. I'm blessed to have family and friends from Maldon who will be there on the day. I'd like to thank everyone for their support."

You can sponsor Anastasia on her Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/page/ana-marathon