DUMFRIES nurse Thomas Hodges is putting his best foot forward as he prepares to take on the Great North Run on Sunday.
Thomas, a dementia specialist nurse at Lochduhar Care Home, will don lycra and his trainers to take part in the 13.1 mile race to fundraise for the Barchester Charitable Foundation.
The foundation supports older people and other adults living with a disability or a mental health condition by helping them to connect or re-connect with others in their communities.
Tom has worked at Lochduhar, which is owned by Barchester, for over six years and loves his job supporting residents living with dementia.
A keen runner, he has been training hard in the Lakes where he lives and hopes his hilly training runs will give him an advantage over the relatively flat Great North Run course. He said: "This is my second race fundraising for the Foundation and I'm really excited to take part. I got into running about five years ago and I absolutely love it, despite having had a fair few injuries. I'm hoping to raise lots of money for the Foundation. I know all the staff, residents and relatives at Lochduhar and my friends and family are all behind me and their support plus the money I'm raising will help me go the distance!"