HAIRDRESSER Dawn Smillie has set out to prove she can cut it in a half-marathon as well as in the salon by taking part in the Great North Run.

The mother-of-two, from Toft Hill, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, aims to raise more than £500 for repair work needed on her local community centre.

Dawn has been training twice a week since February for the half-marathon, which takes place on October 6, and says she feels in better shape than ever.

But her motivation to take part in the run had nothing to do with fitness - it was more to do with fulfilling a promise to herself.

Dawn said: "I've being saying for years that I want to take part in the Great North Run before I'm 40, and since I turned 39 in February, I knew it was now or never.

"I've put it off in the past, so I thought if I do a sponsored run then there'll be no way I can get out of it.

"And it really has spurred me on to train hard," she said.

So far she has managed to raise £450 in sponsorship, with £2 coming from 11-year-old Martin Howe, from Peterborough, who raided his piggy bank after his grandmother told him about her challenge.

Dawn added: "I think it is a really good cause because the Toft Hill and Etherley Community Centre is a focal point for the community and is very popular.

"But it needs repairing and it would be a shame to lose it."

Anybody wanting to sponsor Dawn can do so by calling (01388) 834266.