CYCLISTS and relay runners will be racing the sun across England to raise money to help end homelessness in York.

The first of 12 runners will set off from Bridlington when the sun rises at 4.27am on June 15, and the last hopes to reach Morecambe before the sun sets at 9.44pm.

At the same time, four long-distance cyclists will be following a similar route, each completing the full 130 miles.

They will be raising money for Restore, a York-based charity that provides homes for people who have been homeless, and helps them rebuild their lives.

The charity has helped 130 people move on from homelessness in the past nine years, and currently has eight houses around the city.

This will be the third time the charity has organised its Chase The Sun event, with previous ones in 2016 and 2017 raising thousands of pounds for the charity.

Jonny Wooldridge, Restore’s development officer, said: “Everyone deserves a place they can call home, but problems and injustices in our society mean many people don’t have that.

“Restore works to rebuild lives and challenge the underlying poverty and social issues that push so many people into homelessness in the first place - things like a shortage of affordable housing, an insecure job market and a welfare system that needs to be redesigned.

“We’re so grateful to everyone taking part in Chase The Sun. It’s a monumental challenge but their efforts and the kindness of their sponsors will ensure more people who have been homeless can build a better life.

“In 2016 we successfully piloted the event, raising £2,500, and when we expanded and repeated the event in 2017 it raised £9,600. We hope to raise even more this time.”

l Sponsor the team at www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/chasethesun2019?fbclid=IwAR0NoF5a9Qu8y_aoz4kjtaqQcEE9Cy8PbD4xhrixSrZoajNq0hlmXQ8UoSo