The UK's 'only sprinting monk' is hoping divine inspiration will land him hold in his next competitive race - at the grand age of 81.

Father John Gribben will take part in 60m, 200m, and 400m sprint races in February in aid of poor children in Africa.

The sprightly monk takes two buses every Saturday to attend a local Parkrun in Huddersfield, West Yorks., before making his way back home to his Monastery – taking time to stop for a bacon butty first.

And he's currently in training for the British Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre in London, where he hopes to land his first gold medal.

Father John said: "I'm inspired by the film Chariots of Fire, where the hero in it says ‘I love my God and I run for him'."

"You can't really enter a competition thinking ‘I want not to win'."

Father John joined the Community of the Resurrection in Mirfield, West Yorks., in 1979, after moving from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

He discovered the monastery on a visit to Liverpool in 1966, while he was watching Brazil play in the World Cup, and was taken by its beauty he made the move 13 years later as there was a lack of Anglican churches in Ireland.

He's since devoted his life to prayer, worship, and ministry.

But for the last 10 years, he's found solace in running and keeps fit by training six days a week, involving a mixture of running around the monastery, at his local Parkrun and hitting the gym.

While unable to reach his personal best of 26 minutes in the 5k any more, he can still get around the park in around 40 minutes, which he said was ‘about average for an 81 year old'.

In his next challenge, he hopes to raise money for the charity Tariro, which helps young people in Zimbabwe, set up by another monk in the monastery, Father Nicholas Stebbing.

Father John said: "I don't need anything, and running has brought a great deal of joy into my life – I love running."

"I'm not good at it, but I love running, I thought this is a way to, perhaps, give something back to say thanks to God, thanks to the community that I live in."

"Three nights at least of a 5k run, most days I'll do a 60 metres sprint, and then the other things are an hour at the local gym a couple of days a week."

"I've done several charity runs over the years, almost all of them 10k – but I'm getting a bit old for that, so this time I thought I'll go in for the competition."

"I'm not asking to be sponsored for that, I'm asking for sponsorship for the training, I'll be running in the 400 metres, the 200 metres, and the 60 – all sprints."

Visit https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/27360 to donate to Father John's fundraising efforts.