A record-breaking Paralympian is joining pupils, parents and staff from a Snaresbrook school for a world record attempt.

The team of 12, including sixth-form students, from Forest School in College Place will try to break the record for the longest distance run on a single treadmill in 24 hours on July 4.

Runners must sprint constantly to beat the current German record.

But with five gold medals under his belt, visually-impaired Paralympian Noel Thatcher MBE isn’t fazed.

He said: “We are definitely going to do it but it’s going to be a struggle. None of us have run through the night before.

“It’s going to be a great challenge for the Olympic year, this is what sport should be about.”

Noel competed in six Paralympics Games between 1984 and 2004 and he carried the British flag at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Games.

Team captain John Macnamara has been working the team hard with some training sessions from 10pm to 4am.

He said: “I’m confident we can do it. It’s more psychological than anything but there’s good camaraderie on the team and we’ve got a lot of support.”

The record attempt will raise money for the Essex Disabled Sports Foundation and the school’s Olympic Scholarship.

Donate at www.justgiving.com/forestschoolworldrecordattempt