The director of a Penryn-based donkey sanctuary is attempting an epic marathon challenge to raise vital funds for her charity’s work.

Judy Giles, 61, runs The Flicka Foundation Donkey Sanctuary and is hoping to complete the challenge on Sunday, April 26, when the London Marathon was due to take place.

She will finish the 26.2 miles by completing 78 laps of one of the large paddocks on site at the sanctuary.

Judy set herself this challenge last minute and said: “ I hope to raise at least £100 for every mile I complete.

"I ran the London Marathon 11 years ago, but had the idea to do this one last minute, so it will definitely be a real challenge for me, but we need all the help we can get to continue to care for our residents during the current global pandemic.

"With the lockdown extended and zero support being offered to animal charities by the government, we are very anxious as to what the future may hold.”

As for so many other charities, the Covid-19 crisis is a worrying time for The Flicka Foundation financially, which is losing £1000's in vital funding during this time.

This would normally be one of the sanctuary’s busiest times of the year for visitors and fundraising events, but with lockdown extended for at least another three weeks and a lack of clarity on restrictions after that, the charity says they just cannot predict what is going to happen.

Judy went on to say: “I may be crawling around the paddock for the last miles of my marathon and have to be carried home, but I am determined to do it for our precious donkeys!

"They have suffered so much before we rescued them and deserve to live out the rest of their lives with loving care in a sanctuary.

"They need us to continue to be there for them, now and into the future, so we simply have to keep those vital funds coming in somehow.”

If you would like to support Judy in her marathon challenge to help her raise funds for the donkeys, visit her JustGiving page, justgiving.com/fundraising/judyslockdownmarathon.