A GROUP of infant school staff have completed a 10k run to help a charity which supports sick and premature babies.

The team from Pickering Infant and Nursery School took part in the Abbey Dash, a 10k race in Leeds, on Sunday, in aid of the charity, Bliss.

Rob Newton, deputy head teacher at the school, said: “It was an amazing day and went really well.

"Everyone managed to cross the finish line with a smile on their faces.

“It was a glorious day, cold but sunny and the event was very well supported by the people of Leeds.

"As a school community we do lots of things to support charity work in a range of different ways.

“This year, the staff team have decided they would like to set themselves a physical challenge and also raise money for a good cause at the same time.

“For some of the staff this was their first 10k and for others, this was an opportunity to aim for a new personal best time over this distance.”

The staff decided to do take part in the 10k in aid of the charity Bliss, which supports babies and their families who are born premature or sick.

Mr Newton said: “We have chosen Bliss because of the wonderful work that they do to support many families throughout the UK.

"Both as a staff team and within our school community, we have several families who have been directly affected by prematurity or sickness at birth and have experienced first-hand the need for support at this time.”

According to Bliss, more than 95,000 babies are born premature or sick and in need of neonatal care in the UK each year. That is one in eight babies or about 270 babies every day.

The time babies spend on a neonatal unit and the care they receive is vital to determining their chances of survival, long-term outcomes and quality of life.

Mr Newton said so far they had raised more than £1,000 for the charity with donations still coming in. “It is great that we have reached our target and we would like to thank all those who have donated,” he added,

The Pickering Community Infant and Nursery School team have set up a Just Giving page to raise sponsorship for the charity, which can be found at justgiving.com/pickeringinfantsforbliss