A Skipton mountain runner is to tackle Wainwright’s 190-mile coast-to-coast route from St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay to raise funds for a much-needed extension to his Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association headquarters in Grassington.

Andy Jackson, 44, a team leader at Craven College, will be strapped to a GPS tracking device to enable the team and others to follow his progress when he sets out on Saturday, April 5.

He took up serious mountain running three years ago and has already notched up the major routes in the Dales and the Lakes as well as completing the gruelling Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc across the Alps through France, Italy and Switzerland, where he finished with a top-half place competing with elite runners from across the world.

He joined the UWFRA team 21 years ago and has just taken up the post of surface leader after spending the last 13 years as an underground leader.

He said: “I have been training throughout all the recent bad weather to complete the route in three days and I am gathering support from family and friends as well as team members – both from UWFRA and the mountain rescue teams who cover some of the route.

“Some of them have agreed to run with me on parts of the route.

“It’s certainly a challenge but having people out there helping me along will keep me going.

“We are about to launch a public appeal to help us fund the £150,000 extension and I thought the timing of my run would help raise the public awareness of our need to expand our headquarters to help us meet the challenges ahead of us.”

For more information or to make a donation, visit facebook.com/AJC2C or justgiving.com/Andy-Jackson5