INSPIRATIONAL youngster Charlotte Nott will be cheering on her special team of runners at the Oxford Half Marathon.

Four Oxford friends, Martin Spackman, Adam Smith, Craig Wiseman and Charlotte’s uncle Aaron Nott are taking on the 13.1-mile route to raise money for the Cowley five-year-old, who lost her limbs to meningitis when she was two.

The foursome will join thousands of other runners on the city’s streets at the half marathon on Sunday, October 13, which is supported by the Oxford Mail.

Mr Spackman, a 31-year-old dad-of-two from Littlemore, said: “Charlotte is such a wonderful little girl. We are trying to help as much as possible. You cannot help but want to get involved.”

Charlotte’s family work hard to fundraise for specially made prosthetic legs as she continues to grow.

This week the youngster will be at the John Radcliffe Hospital to undergo another operation on her legs where her bones will be trimmed back. This is a procedure she will regularly face as her bones grow.

Of the half marathon, Mr Spackman said: “The money we raise will go into her trust fund. It could help buy her prosthetic limbs and I know at the moment they are trying to buy her a bike.

“Before she got ill, one of her presents was a bike and she was never able to ride it.”

He added: “Training is quite hard. I just want to get to the run and know we have raised money for Charlotte.”

Dad Alex Nott said: “My brother Aaron is pounding the pavements all the time, and a couple of the others are really putting the time in and every other night they are training. It is really good.

“They are showing what can be done if you put the hard work in.”

He added: “Charlotte is going to come along with me to the start and back round to the finish to watch them come in.”

Oxford Half Marathon runners will go through the Cowley Mini plant, past the Iffley Road running track and over Magdalen Bridge into the city centre.

The route continues through Christ Church Meadow and along the Thames Path before runners finish at the Kassam Stadium.

There will be live bands along the route and runners can vote for their favourite online afterwards.