A MUM-OF-THREE braved the cold, rain and water-filled ditches during a six-mile cross country obstacle race to raise money for deaf people.

Jo Rourke, of Winsford, captained a team of six in the race which took place at Chatsworth Hall, Derbyshire.

They succeeded in raising more than £275 towards the cost of refurbishing and equipping the Cheshire Deaf Society Centre in Northwich.

And what's more Jo, a sales representative with Capital Bank in Chester, managed to get her employer to match their fundraising.

Capital Bank stepped in with an additional £275 from a "Pound 4 Pound Fund."

Jo, aged 30, lives in Elmwood Grove, with her husband Paul and three children Laura, Liam and Patrick.

She explained why she has an interest in helping deaf people.

"It all stems from when I used to work at an estate agents in Winsford and one of the clients we had was deaf.

"When he came in to discuss a problem everything had to be written down. It was so difficult that I thought I would do something about it so I joined a course in Church sign language.

"Then I went on to do the British sign language stage one last year and now I'm planning to do stage two.

"I have neighbours who are deaf and together we arranged for a team of runners, including myself, to raise money for the centre."

Jo is still attending weekly sign language classes at the Verdin Exchange, with the long-term ambition of qualifying and working as a sign language interpreter.

The £550 she helped raise during the race has paid for a dishwasher and a number of specialist items at Northwich's Cheshire Deaf Society Centre.

Jo said: "It has been completely refurbished and extended. When it reopens this year it will benefit deaf people throughout Cheshire including children, deaf-blind people, autistic deaf people and those with physical and learning disabilities."

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