Pupils have been putting a teacher through his paces.

Jon Harris is running the London Marathon later this month and children and staff at Home Farm Primary School, in Cooper Lane, Buttershaw, Bradford, are sponsoring him.

It will be the fourth time Mr Harris, who sometimes runs the 11-mile journey to school and back for training, has taken part in the London Marathon.

“I have done it for Macmillan Cancer Support and the UK Brain Tumour Society before but this time I wanted to go local,” said Mr Harris, 39, of Shipley.

“All my pupils live in Bradford. They are fantastic in supporting me so I thought I would run for a Bradford charity.

“I searched about on the Internet and came up with Bradford Nightstop. They have been in to do an assembly with the children and got lots of interest.”

Anyone wanting to sponsor Mr Harris should go to www.justgiving.com/johnharrismarathon Mr Harris was recently out of action for a month after an injury but has had physiotherapy and is back on target.

Bradford Nightsop provides a bed overnight in volunteers’ homes for young people aged 16 to 25, referred by agencies including the police, housing teams and the Samaritans. The young people are taken to volunteer hosts who provide a room, a hot meal and a bath or shower and a change of clothes.

To get more information about the charity, ring (01274) 776888 or 598479, e-mail admin@bradford nightstop.org.uk or go to bradfordnightstop.org.uk