Claire Squires Death: Just Giving Waive Fee For Donations As Money For Samaritans Pours In

Just Giving Waive Fee For Claire Squires Page

Just Giving have pledged to waive their fee for donations given to Claire Squires, the runner who died in Sunday's London Marathon, after thousands of people visited the site to make a donation to the 30 year old hairdresser.

Squires collapsed and died only a mile from the end of the race, having raised around £500 for charity. However after her death, thousands of people logged on to her just giving page, with donations currently totalling £500,000 including gift aid.

Justgiving.com, who usually charge around 5% of donations made to help run the website have now said they will now waive their fees for donations in response to the "extraordinary" reaction to Claire Squires death

"Out of respect for Claire’s memory, we will be donating our fees back to the Samaritans." a statement on their site reads.

"Yesterday the JustGiving site saw a record number of visits, with over 10,000 people donating together at any given time. This huge wave of sympathy continues today.

"The huge groundswell of support for the Samaritans in Claire’s memory is a moving example of the power of the internet for good."

At lunchtime on Tuesday so many people visited the site that it temporarily went down, as thousands logged on to make a donation.

Claire Squires was described as "an incredible, inspirational, beautiful and driven person"

More than £300,000 has been donated to her JustGiving fundraising page

Claire was running in memory of her brother, who died from a drugs overdose, friends and family have said.

Grant Squires, suffered from depression after a car accident in which his girlfriend died, is reported to have died after taking an overdose drugs in 2001.

Claire's brother was just 25 when he ended his life.

A friend of the family told the Daily Mail: "To lose one child is just terrible, but to lose another – it’s a nightmare. They are a lovely family, and all the siblings were really close, so it was awful for them when Grant died. Now to lose Claire as well, it is just awful."

Family described her on Tuesday as "an incredible, inspirational, beautiful and driven person".

In the statement the family said Claire would have been overwhelmed by the support offered by thousands of people from around the world.

They said: "On behalf of Claire's family and all those who knew and loved her - we would like to say thank you so much for everyone's support.

"Claire would be so happy and overwhelmed with the incredible support that has been offered by thousands of people from all over the world.

"Her family appreciate the kind messages posted online very much.

"Words cannot explain what an incredible, inspirational, beautiful and driven person she was. She was loved by so many and is dearly missed by all of us.

"For Claire and the Samaritans, please keep the donations coming.

"Don't stop giving, just like her. It's what she would have wanted."

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