THE chairman of the governors of Brougham Street Nursery School, in Skipton, has secured a place in the London Marathon.

Heather Mason, is striding out in the capital at the event on April 28 wearing number 7783 and hopes to raise £500 towards buying new outdoor facilities for the nursery school.

She said: "I have had the honour of serving on the governing body for the past three years. There is precious little funding available for education and especially early years these days and I want to raise some money to enable the staff to make the outdoors area even better.

"I've worked hard over the last few months. I've run in the wind, rain, sleet, snow, sub-zero temperatures. I've run up hill and down dale, through floods, and I've run until my toes bled (apparently this makes me a "proper runner, now" according to my father-in-law).

"I've learned a lot along the way: that determination and stubbornness will get you further than you'd think, that rest and recovery is important, that running with friends is brilliant, and that you should always carry extra plasters in your bag. The views from the tops of the hills are incredible and it's always worth stopping to appreciate the birds and the wildlife."

Anyone wishing to donate to the fundraising page can do so at: https://bit.ly/2IvlxiO.