TWO of Bradford City Women's most experienced players are following in the footsteps of their young team-mate.

Earlier this year, defender and university student Ellie Prothero raised more than £2,500 for Cancer Research UK by running over 200 miles in a 30-day period.

And her colleagues, City captain Katy Woodcock and veteran midfielder Charlotte Stuart, are taking on their own challenge.

The pair of them are teachers, and are acutely aware of the impact the lockdown has had on the well-being and mental health of schoolchildren.

So they are planning to run 5K every day for 22 days, starting on March 1, to raise money for two charities, Bradford's One In A Million and national charity, Young Minds.

Explaining the reasons behind their run, Woodcock said: "On average, there are 22 pupils in every classroom in the UK.

"It is estimated that five children in every classroom are battling with their mental health.

"To support the struggle that those young people face, we will be running 5K, every day, for 22 days. We will begin this challenge on Monday, March 1, 2021.

"Working in a school setting and within the community, we witness young people struggle with their mental health each and every day.

"Depression, anxiety, self harm, eating disorders, negative thoughts and low moods are just some of the concerns that our young people are facing every day of their lives.

"We have experienced first hand the devastating outcomes that poor mental health can do to young people and their families.

"We will be running for two charities that are very close to our hearts, both of which work tirelessly to support our future generation.

"One is Young Minds, whose mission is to see a world where every young person who is struggling feels able to reach out, and has people and services around them who can really help.

"Their belief is that no young person should ever feel alone with their mental health, and all young people should get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.

"One In A Million, whose vision is child-centric, place every child and young person at the heart of all they do.

"Their mission is to encourage young people off the streets and into engaging and stimulating activities that develop their skills, understanding and confidence.

"As well as this, they provide progression pathways into employment, education and training.

"Why now? Because our young people need the support from these amazing charities more than ever.

"As Just Giving process donations as soon as they're made, it’s not possible to link a Just Giving page to more than one charity.

"So, we have created this team page which shows two separate donation pages - one for each charity.

"Our aim is to raise £250 for each charity.

"If donating, please select the purple 'donate to a team member' button."

To donate, please follow this link: https://www.justgiving.com/team/CharlotteandKaty225K