A COUPLE from Hilperton have embarked on a mammoth run from Land’s End to John o’ Groats to spread good news across the length of Great Britain.

James and Mina Holder, who live on a barge on the Hilperton Marina, set off on their 1,200-mile run on Wednesday morning and hope to reach the top of Scotland within 40 days, running around 30 miles per day

Along the way, the fitness fanatics will be sourcing one good news story from the area they are in each day and sharing it on their Facebook page to raise awareness of all the good things people are doing

Mrs Holder, a keen long distance runner and supply teacher, said: “When we lived in New Zealand a few years ago we ran the length of the country to raise money for a community so it could build a new hospice.

“We then came back to the UK and came across a book called The End to End Trail in a camping shop, so we bought it and thought we should give it a go.

“There’s a very negative view of the world at the moment with Brexit and everything else going on, so we wanted to do something to balance it out.

“We think cramp every morning and blisters will be the hardest challenge, but that’s nothing we can’t overcome.”

Mrs Holder’s mum, who lives in New Zealand, is going to scour local news websites relating to the area her daughter and son-in-law are in for good news and let them know about it so they can feature it on their blog.

The couple are also going to be interviewing people who have gone out of their way to help others, including a volunteer for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and the founder of the charity, Coppafeel.

“We want to put the spotlight on people who carry out simple acts of kindness to make the world a better place,” added Mrs Holder, 36.

"It doesn't have to be anything spectacular, just something which was done with the aim of putting smiles on people's faces."

Mr Holder, 33, a pathologist at Bristol Hospital, has completed a number of Ironman triathlons and long-distance swims.

To keep up-to-date with the couple's progress, follow www.facebook.com/runholders.