A VICAR is set to make an unexpected return to running in a bid to pay for a new disabled ramp at her Radcliffe church.

The Rev Carol Hayden, vicar of St Mary’s Parish Church in Church Green, vowed to put away her running trainers after the English Half Marathon last year, having ticked the challenge off her ‘bucket list’.

But she will be taking on the run again in Warrington again on September 18 as the church tries to raise £7,000 to become fully accessible.

Carol said: “This is the same half marathon that I said I would never, ever do again.

“But I thought it would be a good opportunity to raise some money for the church.

“We need to make the church fully accessible.

“At the moment, we have an accessible toilet but if you want to access it then you have to go outside, all the way around the church, and through a side door.

“If we can make it fully accessible then I am hoping to use the church more as a community building.

“It would mean we can host community lunches and other events.

“I want the church to be a real hub for the community here and I will raise every penny I possibly can.”

The church was badly damaged in the Boxing Day floods and is still in need of many months of repairs, but Carol is using this as an opportunity to make improvements to the historic building.

She added: “This is all part of the ongoing building work at the church.

“It is still going to be six months before it fully dries out, and then we will have to start looking at putting things right. It is going to be a massive job. We are going to stay open this side of Christmas and there is a two-month gap next year when we will have to close and I hope we can get most of the work done then.”

To donate, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/st-marys-parish