Skipton mum-of-three Rhian Oliver and her brother, John Lovell, will tackle one of the UK’s most strenuous road races – the Coniston 14 – this weekend.

They will be running in memory of their mother, Hilary Lovell, who died from a little-known form of blood poisoning on Christmas morning 2010.

Hilary, from Embsay, was admitted to Airedale General Hospital with a urinary tract infection on Christmas Eve and lost her battle for life the following morning.

A post-mortem examination revealed that she had died from sepsis, caused by the body over-reacting to an infection.

Now Rhian, elder brother John Lovell and friend Claire McGillycuddy-Smith will tackle the Coniston 14 – a mountainous 13.9-mile route around Coniston Water in the Lake District to raise awareness of the illness and at least £500 for the UK Sepsis Trust, established in 2010.

Trust founder Dr Ron Daniels said sepsis was a silent killer and urged health care professionals to screen for the condition during examinations of people with flu-like symptoms, “I’m thrilled that Rhian and her family are trying to do something positive in the wake of Hilary’s tragic death by working with the Sepsis Trust.

“Our aims are simple – we want to establish sepsis as a medical emergency and prevent 20,000 unnecessary deaths by September 2014. If we can get 100,000 signatures it will mean the condition is seen as a clinical priority for the NHS. Not only could it save 10,000 extra lives per year, but could also save over £170 million for the NHS.”

Sepsis is said to kill more people than lung cancer, with more than 37,000 deaths a year.

Rhian said: “Mum’s condition went undetected during two consultations with her GPs and it was only when she was admitted to Airedale that her condition was quickly diagnosed.

“If we had recognised the symptoms earlier Mum might still be with us today.

“By raising money for the UK Sepsis Trust, my family and I want to increase awareness of the condition – we are completely devastated to have lost her but if we can prevent one more person from falling victim to this condition then I will feel that Mum’s death hasn’t been in vain.”

For more information, visit sepsistrust.org or follow the trust’s Twitter page: @SepsisUK.