A model maker who once bought and drove a Japanese fire engine around North London will be remembered by his niece when she runs the London Marathon.

Greville Marchant from Hendon was a much-loved and unique character who tragically died from a rare and aggressive cancer. Now his niece Ella is running the marathon for the uncle she says “brought light into the lives of everyone he met”.

Greville was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma in February 2018. There are an average of 525 cases of leiomyosarcoma diagnosed every year in England, about 0.17% of all cancers. The cancer affected his inferior vena cava – the largest vein in the body and a critical part of the circulatory system. After a ground-breaking operation and months in hospital, Greville returned home.

An antique restorer and cabinet maker as a young man, Greville learned to repair and create beautiful pieces of furniture and house fittings. He ran his own business for many years, building high-quality fittings for exclusive homes. Greville went on to qualify as a chartered building surveyor. After his operation, Greville began making miniature dioramas. The first was when he was given an Airfix model of a Focke Wulf fighter plane. He came up with the idea of a diorama depicting the plane crashed in a river with the German airman standing next to the wreckage held at gunpoint by a British soldier.

After this, Greville made more models. He devised ideas in the middle of the night and spent the next day searching online for materials. Sadly, many of these projects remained unfinished as, in June 2024, Greville died aged 60.

Ella, 27, from Hampstead Garden Suburb, a clinical pharmacist at a GP surgery, said: “His death was hugely tragic for the whole family, he was a major figure in all of our lives. His death left a huge hole which is felt every day. Family gatherings are not the same without him and we all miss him deeply.” She described him as a “unique” character who once bought a Japanese fire engine and drove it around north London.

Ella is preparing for the TCS London Marathon on 26 April, which she is running for charity Sarcoma UK to help its work in funding vital research, offering support for anyone affected by sarcoma and campaigning for better treatments.

She said: “To know my uncle Greville was to love him and we miss him every single day. I was so lucky to have such a close relationship with him, and we spoke many times about me one day taking on this challenge, so it is incredibly meaningful and special to me to be able to do this. I know he will be with me the whole way.”

Sarcoma UK’s Director of Research, Policy and Support, Dr Sorrel Bickley, said: “Greville’s story – and the cancer that took him – is exactly why the research we fund matters so deeply. Leiomyosarcoma is one of the most common subtypes of sarcoma, yet treatment options remain limited and, for many patients, standard chemotherapy simply doesn’t work well enough. That is why Sarcoma UK is currently investing over £750,000 across seven research projects focused on leiomyosarcoma. Our researchers are exploring new targeted drug treatments, investigating why some tumours resist treatment and others don’t, developing immunotherapy combinations, and working to improve how these cancers are diagnosed in the first place – because as Greville’s family know all too well, time matters enormously with this disease. The funds raised by Ella and our other marathon runners will help us to continue investing in crucial research into sarcoma, and we are incredibly grateful.”

To donate to Ella, go to https://www.justgiving.com/page/ella-marchant-4