Campaigner runs London Marathon 2026 for Molly Rose Foundation in memory of daughter Hannah
A dad from Surrey and his son are running the London Marathon 2026 for Molly Rose Foundation, in memory of their daughter and sister Hannah.
Hannah Aitken took her own life in 2023 at the age of 22, and her family, dad Pete, mum Amanda and brother Matt, have campaigned ever since to protect young people like her from the harms that led to her death.
Now, both father and son are running the London Marathon on 26 April to raise funds for Molly Rose Foundation, a charity which works to make the online world safe for young people.
The Foundation has been campaigning with Pete’s family and other bereaved families to shut down a pro-suicide forum and restrict the availability of the substance that led to Hannah’s death.
Pete, a Senior IT Developer at Sky, says running has helped his mental wellbeing and ability to process his thoughts and his grief. He’s also noticed that running in groups has enabled difficult conversations about suicide, after joining a work running club and dedicating one of their runs to the memory of Hannah to raise funds for the Molly Rose Foundation.
Pete wanted to run the London Marathon to give back to Molly Rose Foundation for the support he and his family have received.
He said: “Without Molly Rose Foundation, Hannah would have just been another statistic. They made it possible for us to raise awareness about the harms that led to Hannah’s death.
“With their support, we’ve been to Parliament, I’ve given a presentation to an all party parliamentary group about Hannah and the issues that led to her death, the lived experience group has launched a report, and Hannah was mentioned recently in Prime Minister’s Questions. None of that would have been possible without them.”
Remembering Hannah, Pete said: “Hannah, our only daughter, was kind, funny and dry-witted. I loved to talk to her about politics, social justice and the world. She had the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever seen. She was very active and would have a go at anything. As a child, she played chess, played the flute, and loved to climb and swim.
“One holiday, Hannah wanted to go in the sea early in the morning, unfazed by the cold, grey sky and howling winds. When climbing, she would always push herself; I remember her being utterly determined, tears running down her face, to reach the top of the wall.
“As an adult, she struggled with her mental health, and was diagnosed with autism and ADHD. But she always had a tenacity to keep doing things and keep plugging away. My children have taught me about what I myself could achieve. Without them, I couldn’t imagine some of the things I’ve done. Even jumping into the cold sea with Hannah that holiday – she helped me find a way.”
Pete praised his son Matt who “has been a great support to us all the way”. He said: “The night we found out we’d lost Hannah, I called Matt and he drove from Essex to be with us and stayed for a week. He is also the one who encouraged me to run the London Marathon.”
Hannah’s passing brought to the Aitkens’ attention the systemic issues that enabled her death. Pete said: “We would like to see suicide forums closed for good to protect vulnerable young people. The internet is not built to be particularly safe and Ofcom needs to step up and compel Big Tech to design a safer internet.
“But suicide prevention needs a multi-factorial response – online safety is only one part of it. We also need better regulation of the poison Hannah used, and for the antidote to be made readily available to paramedics and first responders. Long before Hannah died, many Prevention of Future Death orders had already been raised about this poison.
“Since Hannah’s death, more people have died via the method. We need to see effective and coordinated government action, and better overall understanding of every aspect of the problem.”
Molly Rose Foundation Chief Executive Andy Burrows said: “Deaths like Hannah’s are entirely preventable; we need better regulation of this lethal substance and action from Ofcom to crack down on malicious and criminal online forums that encourage and assist suicide.
“It is an immense honour that Pete and Matt are using their strength and energy to campaign – and run – to protect young people in Hannah’s memory.”