Charity runners from a local firm have pounded the streets of Tyneside to raise vital cash for Bolton's Special Care Baby Unit.

Mark Gaskell, Roy Salisbury and Russell Warburton were put through their paces in the Great North Run reaching the finishing line in just one hour and 53 minutes.

The charity effort raised nearly £2,000 for the Bolton baby unit following generous sponsorship from local people and employer Myson Towel Warmers.

The cash will go towards buying a special incubator for the Neo-natal unit used for premature babies in intensive care at Bolton General Hospital.

Russell Warburton, whose son was born at Bolton 13 weeks premature and weighing just one pound and 13 onces, said: "My son spent the first two months of his life here and I owe them a great deal. This is a practical way of helping."

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