Seven members of one family will be taking part in the Manchester 10km run for charity and they are urging readers to help them raise as much as possible.
Members of the Sheikh family who live in Manchester are doing the run to raise money for three disability charities.
Taking part in the run will be Zia Sheikh, his wife Jabeen, 28, his three sisters, Saddia Hamid,38 Shazia Hamid 36 and Naghma Iqbal, 34, his sister-in-law, Rayhana, 39 and his brother Aman, 43.
The 2007 BUPA Great Manchester Run is one of Britain's most popular running events and over 25,000 runners take part.
Zia, who works as a pharmacist in Rochdale has run the half-marathon before and says it is a cause that affects everyone.
"I know it is unusual for so many from one family to be doing a 10K run but when I put it to my sisters they were raring to go"
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"We have two people in our family who are disabled and I thought the whole family could help raise some money for charity.
"We have already started the training and I must say the women have picked up the pace. It was tough for them at first but I think they are getting the hang of it.
"The run will hopefully help raise awarness of the charities and diseases and also help some of us to get fit!"
Zia's niece, eleven year-old Aroosa was diagnosed with Mucopolysaccharide Disease at the age of one. It means her growth is restricted and there is gradual disruption of the function of various organs, with progressive physical disability.
His nephew Saad, aged 3 suffers from Cerebral Palsy.
There are several types of Cerebral palsy (CP) some more severe than others. The term simply means a physical condition that affects movement, as a result of an injury to the brain. Around one in every 500 children born in the UK develops CP
"I think there is still a lot of ignorance within the community about these illnesses, especially among the older generation.
"Just because some people are disabled they should not be shunned. These illnesses are not specific to non-Muslims only."
"I feel by doing this run we can help publicise the work the charities do and I feel it is important that we as a community give something back."
The money raised will go towards the Mucopolysaccharide Society, Scope (The Cerebral Palsy Charity) and Get Kids Going, a charity that raises money for Sports equipment for Disabled Children.
Zia is urging local businesses and readers of Asian Image to come forward and help them reach their target of £10,000.
"It doesn't matter how much you can give but we want to raise as much as possible."
If you would like to help you can call Zia on 07976 360255.
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