'Society has let her down' - man taking on 280km run in memory of sister who died of alcohol abuse
Tom Harding speaks to ITV News about his challenge in memory of his sister
A man is planning to run 280km from Bristol to London in memory of his sister who died of alcohol poisoning.
Tom Harding's sister Katy died in 2021 at the age of 30.
She had struggled with alcoholism for more than a decade prior to her death.
Tom says his sister's death has left him with a sense of anger and frustration.
He told ITV News: "I feel like society has let her down with how accessible alcohol was throughout her life.
"However much we tried - and she tried - it was incredibly difficult for her to escape."
Tom said his sister was an "incredible" person, adding: "She was funny, beautiful, ridiculously intelligent and she loved her friends and family so much."
But her dependence on alcohol became a "vicious spiral", Tom said, and impacted her relationship, career prospects and mental and physical health.
"No matter how hard she or her loved ones tried, she couldn't escape," he added.
He said he is taking on his charity challenge, which is the equivalent of running seven marathons, to raise awareness of the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption and to open up conversations about drinking at all levels.
"The things that I'm focusing on, the three things are accessibility, health warnings and then marketing around alcohol."
Tom added: "With accessibility, I mean how easy it is to purchase alcohol at different times of the day.
"In Katy's case what would have happened, and I know it happened so many times, is she would have been sober for a week or two weeks and got a job interview, been going on her way to the job interview, but she would have seen discounted offers and been able to buy them at 8am.
"I know for a fact she would go and buy them. That not just ruins her interview but she's constantly getting set back and it's difficult to escape."
He also wants health warnings to be put on alcohol, saying glamorous marketing, a cultural acceptance of drinking and a stigma around discussing drinking problems creates a world that encourages excessive consumption of alcohol.
"For anyone who has suffered, directly or indirectly, it can feel like a very alcohol-dominated world," he said.
Tom explains why he's running seven marathons in three days
Tom is due to start his mammoth challenge on 16 November, running the 280km route over three days.
The 31-year-old is also aiming to raise £25k for Alcohol Change.
Tom said: "The run is hugely emotional for me, even in training I've been able to think about her in a whole different way.
"It's a chance for us as a family to create a bit of a different narrative around the whole thing."