A GROUP of parents are leading the charge as they try to raise £60,000 for a new sports pitch while inspiring their children to get active.

A team of nine parents and teachers at Neville’s Cross Primary School in Durham have been taking part in a Couch to 5K programme as one the activities being organised to raise money for a new multi-use games area.

Nicknamed the Neville’s Cross Battlers, they have been training since January and are taking part in their first 5K parkrun in Durham on Saturday, April.

They have been led by school governor Jenny Search, who is a qualified England Athletics run leader and was part of a team which swam the English Channel for the cause last summer.

She said: “It has been fantastic to see these self-confessed non-runners work their way through the couch to 5k programme.

“They started with repeats of just two minutes running followed by three minutes of walking on a dark January evening in the snow and ten weeks later are able to run 30 minutes without stopping. They have worked so hard and have spurred each other on, I’m really proud of them. This has been a great way of encouraging the wider community of the school to get fit and incorporate regular exercise into their weekly routine.”

Headteacher Pam Monaghan, who has been pounding the pavement in preparation, said: “Although I had never run before, I wanted to take part in the challenge so that children, parents and other staff would see the importance of joining in with the fundraising and going that extra mile.

“It was difficult in the first few weeks, but now I’m proud to be able to run for half an hour without stopping. The school is in great need of a suitable surface for children to use as our school field is water logged for much of the year. I want to thank all of our families and friends who have been involved in our fundraising.”

The school is about halfway to reaching its target of £60,000.

One of the efforts was by teacher Ian Beadle who ran the Darkskies marathon on Saturday, while a group of eight parents are preparing the cycle coast to coast in June and two pupils are setting their own challenge to run 100km during 2017.

Further information can be found at www.nevillescross.durham.sch.uk.