SERIAL explorer, charity fundraiser and teacher Steve Hill will be back pounding the streets of Oldham at the weekend - to a run a marathon that should have been taking place in Uganda.

The 48-year-old deputy head at St Joseph's Primary School in Shaw was due to travel to take part in the annual event in Masaka for the third consecutive year.

But after the event was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, Steve pledged to run from the same distance from his Moorside home.

He did a similar run on April 26, when he should have been running the London Marathon which was also cancelled. He dubbed it the "Moorside Marathon"

"When I ran then, it was raise money for the Oldham communities affected by the pandemic," explained Steve.

"But the one of Saturday is to raise money for the Covid-19 relief effort in Masaka. I was aiming to raise about £500, and I have already received £450 in pleges on my justgiving page.

"Just £10 can feed a family for a week in Masaka. The money I raise will help provide essential food and medical provisions."

Steve will be setting off at 5.30am on Saturday (May 30), which is when the Uganda Marathon would have been run.

The public can donate to his fund by visiting www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Steve-Hill-7

Steve will have more running to do at the end of August, either in Iceland at the Great Norse Run,

Steve's previous adventures have included climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Mont Blanc, trekking through the Sahara Desert, climbing Mount Elbrus the highest mountain in Europe, trekking through the Arctic and through the jungles of Borneo, climbing Mount Kinabalu, trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp and then completing the Tenzing Hillary Mount Everest Marathon.

Others have been completing the North Pole Marathon, the Petra Desert Marathon, the Amazon Jungle Ultra Marathon – a 230km self-sufficient footrace through the Amazon jungle equivalent to six marathons in five days.

He has completed Mount Toubkal and recently successfully took part in the Arctic Ice Ultra – a 230km self-sufficient footrace through the Arctic wilderness in winter.