A GRUELLING 100-mile race has provided the perfect launch for a North-East charity.

Team BCT is the latest extension of the BCT Aspire group who work with Teesside’s disadvantaged children and young people.

And the organisation’s founder has celebrated the introduction of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme to their output by completing the St Oswald’s Ultra Race Series, in Northumberland.

Founder and managing director of the Billingham-based charity, Paul Burgum, said: “We launched Team BCT by racing for 100 miles because we start as we mean to go on.

“Our values are all about proving that you can do anything you set your mind to and by doing this run, hopefully we’ve inspired the kids to follow their dreams.

“We tell them that anything is possible and our group of seven runners proved that there are no boundaries to what you can do as many of them ran more than they ever expected to.

“I’m just a normal person, we’re no athletes. I work at a building site during the day and I have a bit of a belly, but now I’m qualified to deliver the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme.”

The programme will be offered to Teessiders aged nine to 18 years old alongside weekly music sessions already run by a team of 35 dedicated volunteers.

The group of resilient runners have been praised for their fundraising efforts and the chairman of the charity, Reverend Bill Braviner, from Billingham, said: “Paul and his running team did us really proud and their efforts will enable us to do so much for young people in our community.

“I want to record my thanks and the thanks of everyone who supports our work for the tremendous effort and achievement of the BCT St Oswald’s Ultra team in supporting our work – because you ran this, we can run that.”