A TEAM of virtual marathon runners have been supported by a Bradford garden centre which donated sunflower seeds for the post-race goody bag.

When Sarah Scott's plans to run the London Marathon to raise funds for Mind with her brother, Robert were curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic, she decided to host her own virtual event to coincide with the Yorkshire Marathon in memory of her sister who committed suicide in December 2019.

The 37-year-old from Wakefield gathered together a team of 50 friends who ran a socially distanced marathon in aid of Mind at the weekend.

Tong Garden Centre donated the seeds to help the fundraising initiative. "Sunflowers were my sister's favourite flowers, so it was lovely to include these in the goody bags as a memento of the virtual race," said Mrs Scott.

Tong Garden Centre's head of marketing, Jo Dales was pleased to help the fundraising initiative. She said: "The benefits of gardening on mental health are well documented and it's a pleasure to help Sarah and her team to raise valuable funds for Mind."

The team hope to raise £2,000.

Mrs Scott has been running for 13 years and this was her fourth marathon. The route went through Wakefield, Thornes, Ossett, Earls Heaton, Kirkham Gate, Outwood and Wrenthorpe.

Tong Garden Centre occupies a 19 acre site in Tong village. It is one of Yorkshire's biggest independent garden centres with 125,000 square feet of retail space and parking for up to 700 cars.