FUNDRAISERS are taking on the Great North Run tomorrow for a host of worthy West Cumbrian causes.

The 13-mile Simply Health Great North Run will be broadcast live on the BBC. Runners will be accompanied by the Bands on the Run and screaming supporters at the sidelines.

Among local runners is Steven Bethwaite, of Garnet Crescent in Salterbeck, Workington. He is running in aid of The Sick Children’s Trust to thank the people who helped him and his wife Victoria while their daughter Lorelai was suffering from a rare meningocele cyst.

When Lorelai was in Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary her parents were able to stay in Crawford House, a neighbouring facility run by The Sick Children’s Trust which the Bethwaites saw as a safe haven. Said Steven: “They helped us in our time of need” – and now he wants to give back.

Donations have been made for Steven’s cause by work colleagues at Currys PC World: “It’s quite nice to have work colleagues getting behind me.”

Steven admitted he is apprehensive about the run: “I’m a bit nervous, it’s my first time doing something like this.” However, he is spurred on by a two-stone weight loss which he has achieved in training for the run.

Also running tomorrow are members of Cleator Moor Amateur Boxing Club – Martyn King, Peter Maxwell, Scott McGrady and Aaron Spencer – who are looking to give back to the Cleator Moor Youth and Community Centre which hosts their training sessions. Funds would be used to support the community centre and provide new equipment for the next generation of boxing stars.

The team will run from Newcastle to South Shields. Club member Rikki Burns said: “The club has kept generations of kids off the streets and has been very successful over the years, namely Martyn King winning the England vest.”

Donate to Steven’s cause at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Steven-Bethwaite