A CEREBRAL palsy sufferer joined her young brother and his school pals to help raise £5,000 for disabled children.

Katie Walker, 16, a pupil at Tor View School, Haslingden, was determined to take part when her brother Jack told her about the 'Mini Marathon' event at Malsis private school near Skipton.

And she certainly wasn't about to let the harsh weather and muddy conditions spoil her marathon attempt.

Three stars from the world of English rugby made a special guest appearance at the Mini-Marathon, to raise money for the Whizz Kidz Children's Charity.

And after officially launching the race the visitors from Sale Sharks were more than happy to join in with Katie and Jack, 12.

Mark Nelson, Sale Sharks academy manager and Lancashire coach took part in the event that was held under the gloomiest of weather conditions on school fields around Crosshills, near Skipton.

But on arriving with colleagues Joe Bedford and Jimmy Moore, who are both Sale Sharks regulars and stars of the England U21 and England Counties teams, it became evident that they were to take part in rather a unique challenge.

However, it turned out that the help was needed on very few occasions, thanks to the state of the art all-terrain tricycle which was supplied by Tor View School, and Katie was largely able to navigate the very demanding cross country course under her own steam.

Scores of parents, pupils and teachers of Malsis School also braved the weather to take part in the gruelling event, with many of them completing a number of circuits of the half-mile course.

And the overall winner of the marathon was Malsis deputy headmaster, Ben Freeman, who organised the event as part of his own fund-raising activities for Whizz Kidz.

Mr Freeman said: "Many of the pupils decided that they wanted to support my forthcoming London Marathon attempt by taking part in the training sessions.

"I was absolutely amazed when this dedication grew into the mini marathon event, affording everyone the opportunity to take part.

"I feel that the hard work dedication and effort shown by Katie, not forgetting her team of helpers, proves that Whizz Kidz provides a very valuable and worthwhile resource."

The Whizz Kidz charity provides customised wheelchairs, tricycles and other specialised mobility equipment to help change the lives of disabled children across the UK.

Disabled children need the right mobility equipment to enable them to live full and active lives with their families and friends, equipment which is in many cases difficult to obtain.