A NORTH-East woman who has the world's largest collection of Royal memorabilia has been asked to run with the Queen's baton before the Commonwealth Games this year.

Anita Atkinson, of Crook, County Durham, will run in the Queen's Jubilee Baton Relay, which is similar to the Olympic torch ceremony.

The mother-of-three has nearly 2,000 Royal pictures, books, trinkets and plates collected over 25 years. Last year, the Guinness Book of Records certified her collection as the largest in the world.

The relay involves different runners passing through more than 500 towns, and covering more than 5,000 miles in 50 days.

It will eventually end up in Manchester for the start of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in July, after passing through the North-East - and Mrs Atkinson's hands.