A VICAR is finally set to lace up her trainers for a half marathon – a year after a freak accident put her athletic ambitions on hold.

Reverend Carol Hayden, vicar of St Mary’s Parish Church in Church Green, was forced to abandon plans to run last year’s English Half Marathon in Warrington after breaking her arm when she tripped over her dog.

Carol first came up with the idea of running a half marathon when she was asked to make a 'Bucket List' for the Radcliffe Times several years ago and is looking forward to finally ticking it off her list.

She said: “I really just wanted to prove to myself that I could get fit enough to run a half marathon.

“It started off as a little bit of a joke when I put it on my bucket list and I didn’t really expect that it’s something I would ever do.

“Then after I broke my arm, I couldn’t run for ages and, for a while, I lost the will to get back out there and start training all over again. But then I changed my mind and hopefully everything will go according to plan this year and that I’ll actually be able to do it.”

Carol is running in aid of young people’s drug and alcohol service Early Break, which is based in her parish and was founded by one of her schoolteachers, Barbara Jack.

She has started an online fundraising page and surpassed her £100 target inside 24 hours, with weeks of fundraising still to come before the marathon on September 20.

The 51-year-old added: “Alcohol misuse is such a big issue among young people and I felt that I really wanted to do something to help a charity related to that.

“Early Break are based in my parish and they do a great deal of wonderful work. Barbara was a teacher of mine many years ago and I still remember running into her when I was doing some volunteering work a few years ago, and she still recognised me.

“She has always stayed in my mind and when I saw how much Early Break had grown it made me want to get involved myself.”

To sponsor Carol: visit justgiving.com/Carol-Hayden