A YORK teacher who was struck by a virus in her teens which made it difficult for her to walk is to take part in this year’s Jane Tomlinson York 10K race.

Cheryl Alexander, a science teacher at York High School in Acomb, is aiming to raise money for Canine Partners, the charity which provides specially-trained dogs for people with disabilities.

Cheryl, 30, who has Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, has used a wheelchair since the age of 18, when the virus attacked her nervous system and left her barely able to walk.

She has a support dog, Orca, who she was partnered with in 2003 thanks to Canine Partners, and he accompanies her during school lessons every day.

Not only is Cheryl doing the York race in July, but she is also taking part in the Jane Tomlinson 10k runs in Hull and Leeds in her racing wheelchair.

Cheryl said she has been working hard training for the three events and was glad to do all she could to raise awareness of Canine Partners.

Orca made headlines in 2003 after helping rescue Cheryl when her wheelchair plummeted down a 20ft water-filled ditch.

She said: “Orca accompanies me to the gym, where I attempt to stay fit for the wheelchair racing events.

“He doesn’t compete with me, preferring a more relaxed approach to exercise these days, but is always there to cheer me on at the finish.

“He comes to work with me every day and helps me sort my room out, greeting the form when they arrive and often handing things out to the class or picking up items I have dropped.

“He’ll fetch and carry whatever I need and generally makes the day less tiring for me by helping with those difficult tasks.

“Orca has even become the ultimate visual aid on occasion.

“We have taken cultures from Orca’s feet to see if they are dirtier than our hands, looked at his fur under the microscope and made a living diagram of him to show life processes.

“He appears at the front of the photographs of my tutor group and always has his school photo taken.”

The York 10K is on July 31 and starts at York Racecourse.