TURNING 50 is a landmark birthday but Carl Sugden has no party planned - instead he is tackling a gruelling challenge to raise money for two charities.

Carl, head teacher at King James’ School in Knaresborough, has set himself a "Challenge 17" - which will see him complete 500 miles of competitive cycling, 22 miles of open water swimming and 65 miles of running in 17 events throughout the year.

He is completing the challenge to raise money for Martin House Hospice Care for Children and Young People and Save Babies UK.

Carl and wife Claire’s daughter Evie was born in 2001 with Krabbe disease, a progressive genetic disorder which affects the central nervous system, and died shortly before her first birthday.

They were supported by Martin House, which cares for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses and their families across North Yorkshire.

Carl said: “Evie would have been 16 this year, and obviously we remain grateful for the care she received at Martin House, so this is a chance to give something back.

"As I’m turning 50, and I’m not one for having parties or moping around about it, I came up with the idea of doing 17 challenges for 2017.”

Among the challenges Carl will be completing are six triathlons, a coast-to-coast cycle ride, open water swimming events and cross-country runs, mostly in North Yorkshire, the Lake District and Scotland.

Carl will also be joined by his son Theo, 12, for a climb in the Scottish Highlands in August.

Carl has launched a blog to chart his progress at challenge17.wordpress.com and has a fundraising page - http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Challenge17.