CHILDREN and parents will be taking part in a mini triathlon at Casterton School this Sunday (July 15) to raise money for research into muscular dystrophy.

The event is the brainchild of Endmoor schoolboy Will Taylor, his sister Beth and parents Sue and Sam. Will, who will be nine this month, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in 2014, a severe genetic muscle-wasting condition, for which there is no treatment or cure.

The Mini Miles for Muscles Family Triathlon Challenge first took place last year and was such a success, the Taylor family are staging it again for children aged five to 11 and their parents.

More than 35 teams have signed up, including from St Patrick's CE Primary School Endmoor and Sedgwick Cubs. The short and long courses comprise a 100m swim/4km bike/1km run, or a 200m swim/4km bike/2km run.

Sam, Will's dad, said: "Will loves being outside and doing activities; he just wants to do the same things as his friends. Low-impact exercise like swimming and cycling are really good for his muscles, so setting up an event for kids of a similar age is a great way of raising awareness of muscular dystrophy, and also raising money that will fund research into a treatment."

For more, see www.facebook.com/ctoctri - and to donate, visit www.justgiving.com/minimilestri18