"JUST because you’re big doesn’t mean you can’t get off your bum."

These are the defiant words of Charlie Taylor, who is a size 20 and has completed the Great North Run four times.

The 28-year-old went from being heckled in the street as a size 32 to running marathons to raise money for loved ones - and shedding seven and a half stone in the process.

Decked out in a T-shirt with the headstrong slogan "Fat chicks can run too", the Darlington resident has already raised funds for her grandmother's charity, St Teresa’s Hospice, in Darlington, and the Cockerton Prize Silver Band, a brass band which her mother played in.

But this year the 6ft 2ins runner chose to support her great-aunt Pam Towers, who was diagnosed with myeloma, a type of bone cancer, in 2014.

Charlie, who was brought up by her single mother and 71-year-old Pam, ran the 2015 Great North Run in September to raise enough funds to keep the cancer ward that treats Pam at South Tees Hospital, Teesside, from closing.

She said: "To see someone who has always inspired me be dragged down by this cancer broke my heart.

"I got a medal at the end of the marathon and put it around Pam's neck and she just burst into tears. Then she showed it to a group of patients getting chemotherapy at South Tees Hospital and they all cried too.

"I was an emotional wreck after that."

When asked if she will continue trying to lose weight, Charlie said: "I don’t run for the glory.

"I couldn’t care less if I was a size 18 or a size 10, it’s about helping Pam.

"She calls me her little inspiration and says the fact that I keep going keeps her going."

Charlie's next project is a PT style bootcamp in Darlington on Saturday, October 24, which she hopes will bring her closer to the £1,000 donation she wants to make for South Tees Hospital.

Her great-aunt has just finished another cycle of chemotherapy, the results of which will determine whether the cancer is going into remission.

Pam's health may seem uncertain for now, but one thing is for sure - Charlie will always go the extra mile for her great-aunt.

Tickets for the bootcamp at Hardwick Hall Hotel and auction at Darlington Golf Club on Saturday, October 24, are available at Relish Sandwich Bar in Skinnergate.