A BUSINESS manager has raised more than £1,000 for a mental health charity by taking part in the Great North Run.

Mary Hughes, who works for the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group , completed the race in support of York Mind – and her feat has been met with generous donations from family, friends and colleagues totalling nearly £1,100.

Mary decided to run the race to raise funds for York Mind after losing a friend to mental illness and experiencing her own personal challenges.

She said: “I decided to run the Great North Run because I really wanted to do something to help and, also having personal challenges myself, I wanted to push my own boundaries.

“One of my best friend’s husband unfortunately lost his life to mental illness and I had his name on the back of my top.

"So it’s nice to think that, if I was reading everyone else’s messages and they saw his name and the charity I was running for, then they might have felt the same way I do - proud.

“I chose York Mind because I saw one of their stalls at work and spoke to them about running (to raise money), because one of the things that used to really help me was running."

Mary completed the 13.1-mile course in two hours and 39 minutes.