A CHARITY with a training centre in York is on the lookout for keen runners in Yorkshire who would like to help change the lives of deaf children.

The charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is calling on runners to take part in the Great North Run in Newcastle upon Tyne this September.

Hearing Dogs, which trains assistance dogs to alert deaf people to important and life-saving sounds, has a few guaranteed places left for the race which starts in Newcastle city centre, crosses the Tyne Bridge and finishes in the coastal town of South Shields.

Hearing Dogs team runners are asked to pledge £300 sponsorship, which will help create even more life-changing partnerships and allow deaf people to leave loneliness behind.

Every member of the Hearing Dogs team will receive a full supporter pack including sponsor forms and a branded running vest, as well as ongoing support with their fundraising.

It costs around £40,000 to fully train and support a hearing dog for the duration of its life - and the charity relies on the support of donations, so every person who signs up to join its team will be helping to transform the lives of deaf people.

Further details can be found on the charity's website.