SUE Holliday aims to be on top of the world by April.

The Tisbury school administrator is heading for the Arctic and a marathon dash to the North Pole to raise funds for cancer charity Cancer Research UK.

Her efforts have been inspired by a colleague at St John's Primary School, where she works, and by four-year-old pupil Maddy Cruxton, both of whom are battling cancer.

Little Maddy was diagnosed with kidney cancer, aged three, and, after a year of treatment, was thought to be in remission and started school in September, but the cancer has since returned.

Mrs Holliday said: "I take my health for granted, and if I can help those touched by cancer get a better quality of life and regain their own health, then all the training and effort that I put into running will have paid off.

"I am looking forward to experiencing the beauty of the North Pole but I know that the hardships I'll face there will be nothing in comparison with those undergoing treatment."

She plans to fly to Norway on April 9 and from there to Spitzbergen.

A Russian jet will then take the 47-year-old mother of four to the Russian North Pole base inside the Arctic Circle, from where she and other runners will take part in the North Pole marathon on April 13, covering the 26.2-mile distance to the geographic North Pole in sub-zero temperatures. Mrs Holliday has been training in the gym at Tisbury and district sports centre but has not yet had a chance to practise with snowshoes.

She has paid all the expenses for the trip herself but hopes people will sponsor her for charity. She said: "I've done a couple of marathons before and saw an article on this in Runner's World.

"I just thought it looked fantastic and I want to do it.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and if you are going to the North Pole, you might as well do it in a good cause.

"If I can't run the distance, I'll shuffle 26 miles."

Anyone wishing to sponsor Mrs Holliday can contact her on 07786 368205.