YOUNG Muslims from Surrey and Hampshire took part in the annual ‘Mercy for Mankind’ half-marathon in the Lake District to raise money for charity and show ‘true Islam’.

Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) from around Farnham, Aldershot, Guildford and Haslemere – some as young as five years old – joined more than 700 other youngsters from across the country to take part in the charity challenge.

They hope to dispel myths surrounding Islam by promoting its true peaceful values, while raising in excess of £500,000 to be shared between more than half a dozen charities, including The Royal British Legion, Save the Children, NSPCC, Barnardos, CLIC Sargent, UNICEF, British Red Cross, Cumbria Community Foundation.

This year marks the 33rd Mercy for Mankind challenge, which first began in 1985 and has raised in excess of £2million for UK charities.