A GRANDMOTHER who has had a major knee operation is pulling on her running shoes to tackle a gruelling marathon in Germany for charity.

Pam Cockerill, 70, of Holtby, east of York, will be aiming to complete the 26-mile Berlin Marathon on Sunday, just three years after she first started running.

The mother-of-four and grandmother-of-12, and soon to be 13, also had a knee operation - an anterior cruciate ligament replacement - 12 years ago, but that has not deterred her from entering her first ever marathon in aid of The Smile Train. The charity repairs cleft palates in children in Third World countries.

Pam said: “I am little nervous. I only started running running three years ago. I also had an ACL replacement. I think it’s quite encouraging for people who say they can’t run because they’ve got bad knees. I’ve have had bad knees and that isn’t stopping me.”

She added: “My family are very supportive of me doing this.” Pam began running using the NHS Couch to 5k programme, which is a plan designed to get just about anyone off the couch and running five kilometres in nine weeks.

Pam commented: “It’s a good way to start running for people who don’t run.” The farmer says she was inspired to take up running by her son Matthew, after watching him tackle the Berlin Marathon in 2013.

She said: “I thought it was a wonderful place. The atmosphere was great. I went to support him. That inspired me to run.”

For the past four months, Pam has been preparing for the marathon by following a training programme. Among the places she has been training are York Racecourse and Dalby Forest.

During the Berlin Marathon, Pam will be cheered on by members of her family, who will be travelling to Germany to support her.

Although she has never taken part in a marathon before, Pam has completed a half marathon in Bath, which was held in March. She says she has always supported The Smile Train, because her late uncle Gordon was born with a severe cleft lip and palate nearly 100 years ago.

Pam explained: “Cleft palate surgery then was rudimentary and it left his face severely scarred and with a voice which was so nasal and distorted that only his close relatives could easily understand him. For his whole adult life uncle Gordon’s accident of birth marked him out as separate and different and an object of pity.

“I truly appreciate therefore the difference that Smile Train makes to the appearance and life prospects of cleft palate children in the Third World.”

To support Pam by making a donation, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Pamela-Cockerill2