A HUSBAND and wife duo from Orford will be completing four half marathons next month to help struggling families in Warrington receive a Christmas dinner.

Mel Jolley, 46, and her husband Chris, 48, will be walking a total of 52 miles to raise enough money for 100 Christmas dinner hampers.

A minimum of 60 will go to the foodbank based in the Station House pub in Padgate.

A further 40 will go to another foodbank based in Fearnhead, set up to help people in the area who have been identified as vulnerable during the pandemic.

Mel explained: "We always get involved with a foodbank charity at Christmas, usually supporting the Reverse Advent Calendar appeal by getting people to donate cash and non-perishable food items.

"However, this year we decided that while there are still so many people being affected by the pandemic, we would raise money to provide 100 families of at least four people, who might otherwise be struggling this year, with a Christmas dinner hamper.

"My husband and I started walking together every day during lockdown and this was where my idea for the sponsored challenge came from.

"We have decided come rain or shine, we will walk a half marathon, so at least 13.1 miles, on each weekend throughout November.

"These routes will go through the north, south, east and west of Warrington, doing a different route each weekend.

"We need to raise £1,500 to provide the basic hamper and then anything extra we raise will go towards buying extra treats for the kids in the families.

"Although we walk a couple of miles every day, 13 miles is quite daunting!

"However, this is an amazing cause and we both really want to do the very best we can in order to help ease the pressure this Christmas for as many people that we can in these unprecedented times."

Mel first got involved with the Station House Foodbank in April after she was placed on furlough.

She said: "The Poulton with Fearnhead Parish Council set up the foodbank in response to the pandemic, in order to help people who have been affected in some way by Covid-19.

"I raised money for them through friends and family on Facebook and even though I wasn't working, I used my contacts at Greencore, where I usually worked, in order to not only raise money, but also to arrange regular deliveries of ready meals to the foodbank.

"I went back to work in July and Greencore have continued to support the foodbank, raising money for a new fridge and providing three weekly deliveries of ready meals."

To keep updated with Mel and Chris' progress, or to donate, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/melandchris.