A FORMER Plymouth Hospitals cancer nurse is running the Race For Life to raise funds for research into the illness which killed Barbara Putnam, who used to own The Cornish Times.

Aly Foyle was a close friend of Mrs Putnam, who died at her home near Poole on April 14. Aly was so upset at her death from lymphoma that she decided to do something positive in her memory.

The Race For Life is a national Cancer Research UK fundraising event and Aly, who lives in the south of the London Borough of Croydon, will be running her 5km on Epsom Downs on Sunday, June 24.

Affection

'I am doing it memory of a wonderful, inspirational woman for whom I had a very deep affection,' said Aly.

'She was amazing and is greatly missed by all of her family. A simply wonderful woman and I am very happy to be going this race in her honour.'

Aly, who originally lived in Bristol first came to Plymouth for her nursing training and later worked on cancer unit wards 18, 19 and 20 at the old Freedom Fields Hospital before switching to Derriford's Brent ward when the new hospital opened.

'I worked in Plymouth from 1988-98 when I was then Aly Henley,' she said.

'I'm now at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea working on the haemato-oncology unit there, so I'm still in the same field.'

Although Aly never professionally cared for Mrs Putnam, she spent a lot of time with her and her family, offering support and comfort.

Mrs Putnam's nephew Rob is Aly's husband, and, despite failing health, Mrs Putnam always adored the couple's two young children.

'I met Barbara in 2003 and over the short time I knew her, formed a great relationship with her and had, and still have, the utmost respect for her,' said Aly.

'She really was "old school" but I found her inspirational in the way she dealt with her illness and her attitude to life in general.

'As a cancer nurse looking after patients with similar diseases, the Race For Life is something quite close to my heart. 

Mrs Putnam left two children, Tom and Lucy, stepchildren Mary and Antoinette, and grandchildren Polly and Edward.

Another stepson, James, died last August after a long fight against Parkinson's Disease.

A self-made business entrepreneur, he owned Putnam Health Co Ltd, the Plympton manufacturing company specialising in back support and back pain care products which he built from scratch, and for which he became known as 'The King of Foam'.

Mrs Putnam's husband, Eric, who spent almost 60 years in the newspaper industry, died in October 1984.

Donation

The Putnam family sold their controlling interest in The Cornish Times to the family-owned Tindle Newspapers four years later.

Aly has a web-page (http://www.justgiv">http://www.justgiv ing.com/alyfoyle) for anyone who would like to make a donation.

Present Cornish Times owner Sir Ray Tindle and members of staff have been among those who have already contributed.