A NORTH Tawton man is in training for a feat of endurance he hopes will raise thousands of pounds for the West of England School and College for young people with little or no sight. Thirty-one year old Jake Powell, who has worked at the School and College for two years as a teaching assistant, is planning to run twelve half marathons in twelve months. He will be sponsored for each run and by the end of the year, he hopes to have raised more than £3,000. Jake said: 'I love working at the school and the children are such an inspiration. 'Some of the children — and the staff for that matter — think I'm mad and they're probably right. But it's for a terrific cause and as long as my body holds up I should be fine!' Training has begun in earnest for the first run, which will be Taunton half marathon on April 6. That will be followed by the Great West Run in Exeter on May 4. The distance that Jake will run in total, 157 miles, is almost as far as Exeter to Birmingham! Jake will run one half marathon every month — from Bristol to Cornwall — ending with the half marathon in Bideford in March 2009. At least the challenge is not a leap into the unknown for Jake —he has run four half marathons in the past and says his best time is 'around two hours'. Tracy de Bernhardt Dunkin, principal of the West of England School and College, said: 'As an organisation we rely greatly on voluntary donations to enhance the education we provide for our very special young people here. 'The efforts of people like Jake cannot be underestimated and we are very grateful to him.' People interested in supporting Jake can log on to the website http://www.justgiving.com/jacobpowell">www.justgiving.com/jacobpowell and donate.
