A FAMILY dog has been leading the way for her master around their home town in preparation for the Great North Run.

Border collie Meg has joined her owner, Ian Middleton, along the roads and streets of Northallerton, North Yorkshire, for months while he has been training for the half-marathon.

Sergeant Middleton, an electrician on XI (fighter) Squadron, at RAF Leeming, Bedale, decided after Christmas to be one of the 47,000 people who take part in the Newcastle to South Shields half-marathon.

He said: "I used the race as an incentive to actually take up running and stick to it after the New Year.

"I tend to fit in a two-mile run with Meg around the town as often as I can. It keeps us both fit and she enjoys herself."

Meg, along with Sgt Middleton's sons, Christopher and Liam, his partner, Joanne, and her two children, Charlotte and Oliver, will be cheering him on from the sidelines on September 21.

It will not be the first time that the 38-year-old, from Romanby, has taken part in a long-distance race, having completed the London Marathon in 1990.

He is aiming to raise £1,000 for Yorkshire Cancer Research and is offering anyone who sponsors him £5 or more the chance to win a VIP day for two at RAF Leeming.

The trip, on Tuesday, October 14, will include a visit to one of the flying squadrons and lunch in the officers' mess.

To sponsor Sgt Middleton, call (01609) 774301.