AN athletic school governor is embarking on a sponsored marathon around a city circuit next month to help African villagers.

Frank Tota, a foundation governor at Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, will do 105.5 laps of Nunnery Wood's 400-metre athletics track in Worcester.

This is to help raise funds in order to build a roof on the partly-built Nyandoro Medical Centre in Zimbabwe in a small village in the Nyanga region.

Frank competes in the veterans 65 category for Worcester Athletic Club and events in Malvern at the Worcestershire Beacon 7, Norwich and Exeter were among his runs last year.

The Timberdine Avenue school is supporting the work in the southern African country with staff and students from the college accompanying Frank on the run.

It will take place on Wednesday, April 17 from 1.30pm until 5.30pm.

Frank said: "If you have time, please come along and support me.

"You can walk or run a mile of the track with me.

"My athletics club Worcester AC is supporting this event and athletes from the club will be accompanying me on the run."

The Zimbabwean village is home to families who live in simple huts and houses which they build themselves.

The nearest medical centre is 20 kilometres away and the children have to walk there.

The Worcester school aims to raise £10,000 to complete the building of the new centre which started in 2018 thanks to money raised by another school.