A team of runners from Skipton Athletics Club is gearing up for the Flora London Marathon on Sunday.

The four men and one woman, ranging in ages from 25 to 51, will all be raising money for charity.

Three - married couple Tim, and Cath Coates, aged 43 and 42 respectively, and Jeremy Lamb, 25 - work for Homeloan Management Ltd in Skipton and they will be supporting the company's 10,000 mile challenge for charity. They have thrown down the gauntlet to their work colleagues to come up with their joint finishing time.

Jeremy, who has been running for just 10 months, will be taking part in his first marathon.

Joining them will be Bill Smith, 51, who has taken part in 10 marathons, including two in London and will be running for the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust.

Bill, who lives in Skipton, needs to raise £1,500 in sponsorship and today (Friday) will be collecting at the Skipton Morrisons' store.

The fifth member of the group, Steve Hall, from Sutton, has been running for three years and will be taking part in a marathon for the second time.

The runners will be travelling down to London together on the train and are looking forward to a mild day with no rain.

"It's a fantastic day, we're all looking forward to it," said Cath.

Also taking part in the 26-mile race is Hannah Peacock, 29, who works for Silsden conveyor belt manufacturer Habasit Rossi.

She obtained a place in the over-subscribed race through her running club and wants to raise at least £500 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The human resource advisor, who is running the race for the second time, said: "As a keen runner I am looking forward to completing the marathon. It is an excellent personal challenge and the fact that I am able to help raise money for a charity makes the experience extremely satisfying."

Habasit Rossi has offered to sponsor her.