A mother and daughter plan to complete The Great North Run for a second time to raise money for charity and 'break' the stigma around mental health.

Sharon Tarmey, of Matfen, and her daughter Ashleigh Foster, who lives in Dubai, will join thousands at the start line of the Great North Run on September 11.

Sharon was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 1986 at the young age of 21 and hopes to raise £1,500 for mental health charity Mind with her daughter.

“Last year we decided to do the half marathon just to see if it could be done," Ashleigh said.

"We had never trained for it and never even run together and purchased a hardier wheelchair the day before the race.

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Hexham Courant:

"We did it. It was euphoric and demonstrated that anything can be done when you put your mind to it.

"Doing it again this year and raising money for a cause we feel very strongly about has been super motivating in training and fundraising.

"We want to raise awareness and break the stigma around mental health, having seeing so many of our own friends and family affected with mental health problems.

"I have also struggled with anxiety for many years and feel that no one should face mental health problems alone.”

Ian O’Reilly, head of community & events fundraising at Mind, adds: “We are really grateful to Ashleigh and Sharon for choosing to support Mind through the Great North Run half marathon and we wish them well.

“It continues to be a really challenging time and many of us will be feeling the impact of the pandemic on our mental health and wellbeing, especially for those of us with existing mental health problems. One in four of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year, and it’s so important that no one has to face this alone.

“Every donation that Mind receives allows us to campaign to improve services and provide information and support."