A SKATE marathon will take place in Northallerton this weekend to help raise cash towards a proposed £100,000 skate park.

More than 50 youngsters will take to their skateboards for the sponsored marathon which takes place on Sunday, from 10am, on a course in the car park in front of Hambleton leisure centre at Stone Cross.

Those taking part include local skater group the Sket-chy Wheelers, which has rais-ed £6,500 for the park. They are being backed by North Yorkshire County Council's Connecting Youth Culture team and the Northallerton skate shop, Popcorn.

The skaters will wend their way around the course to sounds provided by local DJs and rappers. The aim is to complete 288 circuits, the equivalent to 24 miles.

Popcorn is offering prizes for those who raise the most sponsorship and those that complete the most circuits of the course.

Carl Agar-Brennan, owner of Popcorn, said: "The fact that Northallerton has got a skateboarding sub-group willing to get up and do something for themselves to raise this money is brilliant."

The event is being tagged as the first in what could become an annual fixture.

Entry forms are available in schools or from the Popcorn shop in the High Street. For further details, contact the store on (01609) 761600.