A mother from East Moseley is set to run a cross-trainer marathon and swim the distance of the English Channel to raise money for charity.

Julie Bell, 44, whose father has dementia, joined a gym to help cope with the anxiety caused by the illness and has been inspired by a challenge to run a 26-mile marathon on a cross-trainer over a 21-day period.

She also hopes to raise £1,000 by also swimming the 22 miles of the English Channel over a period of six weeks, which equates to 1,967 lengths of the pool.

She said: “It really is a win-win situation. The motivation behind me is that every length I swim and every mile I run, I am raising funds for two great charities that need loads of support and awareness.”

The proceeds will go to MacMillan Nurses and Dementia UK, because Mrs Bell also has a close friend recently with terminal cancer.

Mrs Bell is currently half way through her challenge, having completed 13 miles of the marathon and 577 lengths in the pool.

She said: “I have some great friends and colleagues that are backing me all the way.”

Donate at justgiving.com/teams/sunshines.