When Leeds Jewish Welfare Board supporters discovered that they could not run the London Marathon because it is being staged on the second day of Pesach, they wanted to come up with an alternative fundraiser. So 10 of them are hot-footing it to Israel for next week's Tel Aviv Marathon.

Five are from one family - Adam and Bradley Wine with sisters Elissa and Vikki and brother-in-law Mark Popplewell. Also participating will be Lloyd Rakusen, Monica Angel, Ilan Sherman and LJWB staff members Liz Bradbury and Meirav Sasson.

"I'd like to think we will all help and motivate one another," Adam Wine said. "Since I moved to London, I don't get many opportunities to contribute to LJWB so, when opting to do the marathon, the board was an obvious choice."

Ms Bradbury, LJWB's chief executive, said that "as a charity, we look to our staff to go that extra mile for our community. What better way to do this?"

Ilan Sherman, a marathon regular, looked forward to "flying in on Thursday night, running on Friday morning and having three nights to myself in the Holy Land".

Tel Aviv will be his fourth marathon in two years - "it's getting quite addictive".