Where will Jill Scott be in County Durham on Sport Relief challenge?

The former Manchester City midfielder kicked off the fundraising challenge at London’s Wembley Stadium, the site of her 2022 Euros win with the Lionesses, and will make her way North to the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.

Scott set off on Monday (June 8) morning and will aim to complete a 112-mile bike ride to Villa Park on day one of the challenge.

She will then tackle a 99-mile ride to Everton Hill Dickinson Stadium on day two, followed by a 38-mile run into Manchester on day three.

Former Lioness Jill Scott sets off from Wembley Stadium, north London, at the stat of a five day cycle and marathon challenge for Sport Relief, which will complete a 388 mile route from Wembley Stadium in London to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light (Image: PA MEDIA)

The former footballer will then do a Tour de France-style 111-mile cycle to the North East on Thursday, finishing in West Auckland.

She will travel through Bishop Auckland, Coundon, Spennymoor, Croxdale, Durham, and Houghton-le-Spring, on a 28-mile run to the Stadium of Light on Friday (June 12).

Where will Jill Scott be travelling through in County Durham and North Yorkshire during the challenge?

• West Auckland
• Bishop Auckland
• Coundon
• Spennymoor
• Croxdale
• Durham
• Piercebridge
• Melsonby
• Aldbrough St John
• Richmond
• Leyburn
• Barden Moor
• Grassington
• Bolton Abbey

Over the course of the challenge, she will stop by different football stadiums and community hubs with a few familiar faces, including her former football teammates, joining her along the way.

When will it be happening?

With an estimated arrival in Sunderland of between 4.30pm-5pm on Friday, Jill’s route sees her running and cycling through Houghton and down the A690 Durham Road to Keel Square in the city centre, then heading across the river over Keel Crossing and through Roker, before reaching the finish line in front of the Stadium of Light.

People will be able to monitor Jill’s progress as she makes her way through Sunderland and find out where she is on a live journey tracker on Jill Scott’s Coming Home Challenge for Sport Relief | Comic Relief 

Jill said: “I honestly think this is going to push me further than anything I’ve ever done in football. I’ve got a dodgy knee and a few niggly old injuries from my playing days, which I need to look after, but I’m determined not to let that hold me back. It’s nerve-racking when I look at some of these distances, running marathons and cycling hundreds of miles back-to-back.

“Just like throughout my career, I know I’m going to need a community behind me to get me across that finish line.

“This challenge means so much to me because my journey started long before my days at Wembley.

“It started with people believing in me, supporting me and giving me opportunities when I needed them most.

“One thing football taught me is that you never get through difficult moments alone. When things get tough, it’s the people around you who carry you through, and that’s exactly what this challenge is about.

“If people can get behind me, donate, and cheer me on, we can do something much bigger than just getting me across a finish line.

“My dodgy knees and niggly injuries are nothing compared to what so many people are going through right now. Together with Sport Relief, we can help people through the toughest times – and show everyone that no matter how hard things get, no one has to face it alone.”

“A lot of young people say they feel lonely, they feel disconnected. That’s definitely something that Sport Relief really do help with – giving kids a sense of belonging, a purpose.

“I would just urge people, if you are in a position to help, please make sure you do, because without those green spaces, without those youth clubs, I would never have gone on to fulfil my dreams of playing for England.”

You can track where Jill is on her Coming Home Challenge for Sport Relief and donate by visiting comicrelief.com/jillscott.