A SKIPTON woman has set herself a target of running a half marathon every month of 2015 - to help fund lifesaving treatment for her great niece.

Helen Large, an administrator at Skipton Parish Church School, is just one of the close knit family rallying round to help 18 month old Isla-Grace Large, who has a very rare form of cancer.

Although the Proton Beam therapy and the cost of travel to United States will be covered by the NHS, the living costs of Isla-Grace and her parents, Beth and Rhys, will have to be met by the family.

Helen has already tackled two half marathons - Blackpool on Sunday and the Central Lancs New Year Half Marathon - and with ten more to do has already exceeded her £500 target.

The 41 year old mother of two teenage girls will tackle her next race on March 22 in Reading, Berks, and in the next few months will tackle races in Morecambe, Lancaster, Newcastle and Humber.

"Blackpool was gruesome, absolutely horrid. The final two miles on the cliff top with all the rain, hail and snow was really brutal and I actually had to stop, I'm only little and I couldn't run into the wind," she said.

But despite the weather, Helen achieved a personal best time of two hours, three minutes and 47 seconds.

Isla-Grace was diagnosed with the extremely rare cancer Ewing's Sarcoma in October last year and is currently undergoing extensive chemotherapy treatment at Leeds General Infirmary.

She will also have to have surgery to remove the tumour, which is growing on her neck.

She will then have to fly to the US with her parents, Beth and Rhys, who are both just 20 years old, to continue with the Proton Beam Therapy, which is not available in the UK.

They expect to stay in the US for around ten weeks and have been told to expect the cost to be in the region of £10,000.

A fundraising event is to take place on March 1 at La Fitness in Yeadon, when another of Isla-Grace's great aunts. Kirsty Francis, will have her head shaved.

Donations to help Isla-Grace can be made on the website justgiving.com/IslaGrace.