STAFF at Langlands garden centres are coming together to raise funds for a new electric powerchair for an East Yorkshire girl.

Emma Hodson was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, and had her first operation at just 16 hours old.

The 14-year-old, whose father Ian works at Langlands Garden Centre in Shiptonthorpe, East Yorkshire, relies on a wheelchair full time and regularly enjoys taking part in sports such as wheelchair races with Leeds City athletics club and powerchair football with Hull and East Riding Electric Eels, who have lent her current powerchair.

To allow Emma to enjoy the freedom of having her own powerchair, several fundraising efforts are currently underway to help reach an £8,000 target, with staff at Langlands garden centres getting involved with a number of events and activities.

Langlands director James Ducker, alongside his colleague Claire Share, took part in the Yorkshire Tough Mudder event at Broughton Hall, near Skipton, on Sunday and raised £1,000.

There will be a family fun day on August 5 at Goodmanham Dale and an evening of live music at Langlands in Shiptonthorpe on September 21, with an auction.

Langlands employee Claire Share and husband Rick will be taking on the challenge of the Hull Marathon and the Dalby Forest Marathon. Finally, the couple will also be holding an online number raffle of a memorabilia photograph of the 1966 World Cup, signed by some of the surviving players, and a signed and mounted Manchester United champions league shirt, both donated by Richard Middleton of CTS Shopfitting in Hull.