Emily and Sophie’s Junior and Mini Great North Run

Emily and Sophie Allen from Manchester joined 10,500 other children in Newcastle for the AJ Bell Junior & Mini Great North Run.

Emily, aged 10, and Sophie, aged 7, are pupils at Lady Barn House School in Cheadle and together they raised £225 for Francis House.

The annual celebration of running and UK’s biggest children’s running event takes place every September. Running in the junior race for ages 9-16 and covering a distance of 4km, Emily crossed the finish line in 25 minutes. Sophie ran in the mini race for ages 3-8 and completed the 1.5km in 5 minutes.

Both girls run for fun and understand the benefits of keeping fit and healthy.

The sisters said: “The race was so much fun. It was really busy and lots of people turned up to support everyone.

“Running up hill was hard. The best bit was overtaking people and seeing the finish line as we ran over the bridge. We felt tired but pleased we had finished. We chose to support Francis House because we wanted to raise money to help children who are feeling poorly.”

The girl’s family donated to their fundraiser and helped them to raise £225 plus £56.25 in Gift Aid.

Emily said: “Thank you to all the people that have sponsored Sophie and I. We ran our hardest for the Francis House Children’s Hospice and I hope the money goes to a good cause.”

Mum Vicki Allen said: “The girls did really well on a day of varied weather. Both Emily and Sophie had lots of fun running in a super friendly and encouraging atmosphere. They were delighted to reach their fundraising goal for Francis House.”