OASIS Academy in Trowbridge welcomed ultra-runner Adam Holland on his mission to run the equivalent of 10 marathons in just five days, touring as many Oasis centres as possible.

The 29-year-old set off from Humber Bridge near Kingston upon Hull on October 2 at the start of his 262-mile challenge and passed through Trowbridge on Wednesday, meeting pupils at Oasis Academy in Broadcloth Lane to talk about his journey. By the time he reaches Waterloo on Thursday Mr Holland will have visited 23 of the 47 academies across the country.

Caroline Cox, principal of Oasis Academy in Trowbridge, said: “He came along just before 7.30am. Luckily some of the children came in early to meet him. He ran with the children on the field for a while, as well as some teachers, then he came into the school and had breakfast with the kids. When they were having breakfast he spoke to them about challenges and running. It was a fantastic opportunity for the children, some of whom were inspired as they want to get into athletics. We feel very privileged to have had him come in and visit.”

Mr Holland said: “Somebody else was supposed to do this challenge but they couldn’t so I thought, 'Why not?' As soon as I heard about Oasis and the inspirational work it's doing for children and communities across England, it was a cause that I wanted to show my support for.”

Diana Nell, the corporate partnerships manager for Oasis, has been travelling across the country with Mr Holland, meeting him at his designated stopping points after each run.

“The whole point of this project is to encourage people to fundraise and support the community they live in. It is an ambitious challenge but Adam has done really well,” said Mrs Nell.