Summary

Jill Scott Completes Sport Relief Challenge

Live Reporting

Edited by Rachel Kerr, with reporting from Jason Arunn Murugesu and Rachel Flynn

  1. One more marathon effort until Jill Scott is home

    Jill Scott is currently on her last 28 miles, after covering 360 miles since Monday.

    This is her 'Coming Home' journey, which she has either run or cycled.

    Map of England showing a multi-stage route from London (Start) to Sunderland (End), passing through Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, and Bishop Auckland. Each stage is marked with coloured dotted lines and distances: Stage 1 London - Birmingham 112 miles, Stage 2 Birmingham - Liverpool 99 miles, Stage 3 Liverpool - Manchester 38 miles, Stage 4 Manchester - Bishop Auckland 111 miles, and Stage 5 Bishop Auckland - Sunderland 28 miles.

  2. Celebrities send messages of support

    Jill has received a lot of celebrity backing along the way.

    Her former Lioness manager Sarina Wiegman said she had her support “every step of the way”.

    Long distance runner Sir Mo Farah told her to “believe in yourself” and Radio One DJ Greg James urged her to "keep going".

    Meanwhile Sir David Beckham wished the footballer luck and said “you’ve got this”.

    Fellow North East stars Ant and Dec, who are from Newcastle, used some traditional rivalry with Sunderland to show their support saying: "We know it's a tough challenge...having to go to Sunderland - shame for you! We're only joking. You're nearly there, come on!"

    Cyclist Sir Chris Hoy hailed the "incredible challenge" and said she was making "a huge difference".

    Jill Scott wearing yellow top and red helmet cycling in the dark. People with England flags line up on barriers on the left hand side cheering her on.Getty Images

  3. 'Try to smile through it'

    The race has been tough going for Jill and among the challenges she has faced are rain, punishing hills and mounting exhaustion.

    “In sport you’re taught that showing pain is a weakness, so I keep trying to hide it and smile through it,” she said.

    “But this is completely different to any pain I’ve ever felt – and I retired four years ago, so I haven’t exactly been training since then.”

    Close up of Jill Scott cycling. She is wearing a red helmet and a blue raincoat. Raindrops are falling off her. She is bearing her teeth in exertion.

  4. 'I don't want to miss her'

    Jim Scott
    BBC North East & Cumbria. in Sunderland

    Chloe Rose, who is from Hebburn but lives in Sunderland, is probably the first person to arrive in Sunderland's Keel Square, where Jill will be coming through this afternoon.

    “I don’t want to miss her in case she goes faster,” she said as she’s been following her progress.

    “I just want to say I’ve supported the Lionesses since 2021, I’ve always gone to the games, the ones in the UK at least… if I’m here, and I can make it, I’ll support them.

    “With it being the last leg, it felt silly not to go”.

    Chloe Rose is wearing a black Lioness top with red lettering and is wearing sunglasses. She is holding a cardboard sign above her head which says "Only about 90 box to box runs to go!"

    Kathleen Boddy, from Sunderland, is also in Keel Square and didn’t realise Jill would be travelling through this very spot soon.

    "To think she’d come all the way from Wembley, I don’t know how she’s done it, it’s so brave of her."

    Kathleen Boddy sitting in Kele Square in Sunderland. She has short light brown hair and is smiling. She is wearing a brown padded jacket and a blue and black floral shirt underneath

  5. 'You hear the accent and you know you're home'

    Claudia Robinson
    North East and Cumbria, in Bishop Auckland

    This morning Jill spoke about how she was feeling ahead of the final leg.

    "I'm quite tired now but you know what it's the last bit... I think there'll be a bit of running and walking."

    She said she was thrilled when she was getting into the North East last night and started seeing Sunderland shirts.

    "You can hear the accent and you know that you're home," she said.

    Jill Scott in a purple running top with a microphone facing her. There is a man in a high-vis jacket in the background

  6. 'Amazing' support in Manchester

    Chris Long
    Digital Editor, BBC North West

    Jill admitted she was "quite stiff" at the start of day four, as she set out from her old stomping ground, Manchester City’s Joie Stadium.

    Jill won one league title, three FA Cups and three WSL Cups during her time in Manchester and now calls the city home, having opened a coffee shop with her partner in the suburb of Northenden after retiring.

    She told BBC Radio Manchester the challenge had been "tricky", but the support along the way had been "amazing".

    "I’ve had banners, flags… I’ve had cakes made for us.

    “I am in pain now but hopefully, if we can raise as much money as possible, it’ll make it all worthwhile."

    Her route to the stadium also took her along the famous cobbles of Coronation Street, where she was met at the Rovers Return by no less than athletics legend Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill.

    Jill Scott is wearing black shorts and a light blue top with a quarter zip and the Sport Relief logo which is a red circle with white writing. Her brown hair is in a plait down her back. She is high-fiving some children who are wearing white and red tops. There is a camera on a tripod behind herGetty Images
    Jill Scott and Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill on the Coronation Street set. Jill is wearing black shorts, a white T-shirt and has one hand on a door handle. Jess is wearing a white top, blue leggings and white trainers and is half turned to the camera. The set is a red brick with the word Rovers Return Inn in gold on a green backgroundGetty Images

  7. Everton stop-off coincided with Lionesses' match

    Chris Long
    Digital Editor, BBC North West

    BBC Radio Merseyside met Jill as she set off from Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on the banks of the Mersey in Liverpool on day three of her challenge.

    She said her journey there, which saw her jogging with ultrarunner Jonny Davies and arriving at the stadium ahead of England’s 3-0 victory over Ukraine, had been gruelling, but day three was always “the day I was most worried about”.

    “Thirty eight miles running after having a lot of cycling through my legs in the last few days… but the support has been amazing, so I’m looking forward to getting out there and seeing everybody.”

    She said she had only stayed for the first half of the Lionesses’ match, adding: “I knew they were winning and I predicted a 3-0.”

    Jill picked up her first major trophies with Everton, winning the FA Cup and Premier League Cup, and earned the first of her 161 England caps while at the club.

    She said it was “such a nice feeling” to come back to the club, adding: “Everton means so much to me.

    “I moved here from Sunderland because I wanted to play for England and I made my debut when I was at the club.

    “It was so nice to see that badge.”

    Jill Scott running with ultrarunner Jonny Davies. They are both wearing black shorts with white T-shirts. Jill Scott's has the Sport Relief logo on it which is a red circle with the words in white letters. There is long grass in the foreground and bushes in the backgroundGetty Images

  8. North East putting on a good show to urge Jill on

    Alasdair Gill
    North East and Cumbria, in County Durham

    The region is doing Jill proud as she runs through it in the final stages of her challenge and giving her a full welcome home.

    Among those urging her one were students who were treated to a novel break from Friday classes.

    It's not every day a star runs through your school!

    Sunny day with lots of pupils in school uniform holding signs as Jill Scott runs on road
    Sunny day with lots of pupils in school uniform holding signs behind railing and waving
    Jill Scott in blue jacket signs autograph. She is surrounded by pupils and adults. It is a sunny day.

  9. Jill Scott: Long-distance runner to footballing star

    Scott holding her medal in the Euros finalGetty Images

    The Lionesses - including Scott- brought it home in the 2022 Euros

    Born: Sunderland

    Age: 39

    Career: Former professional footballer, playing for Sunderland, Everton, Manchester City, Aston Villa, and England's national team

    Accolades: Scott was in the England team which won the Euros in 2022 and retired as England's second-most capped international footballer. The same year she won I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

    Fun fact: She once won the junior Great North Run and the north of England Under-13 cross-country title

  10. 'I want every child to have the opportunity to be able to do sport'

    Caroline Gall
    BBC News

    The finish on day one on Monday was the West Midlands where she had a pitstop in Priors Marston in Warwickshire before setting off for Villa Park in Birmingham.

    "I think everybody said it was going to be an epic challenge, but if you want people to donate and help make a difference, you've got to try and do something big," she said.

    "Sport Relief is just fantastic. Even me being able to say yes to this challenge is because I got to do sport when I was a child and I want every child to have the opportunity to be able to do sport.

    "They support such great projects, youth work and community centres and I've seen that work first-hand and it really does change people's lives.

    "When I was younger, I relied on those places and it enabled me to have a dream to become a footballer."

    Jill Scott stands in cycling gear and helmet with children and adults who have come to see her on her challenge. She is posing for photos with children who are smiling. She has long brown hair in a plait, emerging from under a red cycle helmet, and is wearing a blue cycle top

  11. A race in four photos

    Jill Scott has completed four full days of the five-day 388 miles (624km) challenge so far. There have been smiles, sun and a lot of rain.

    Jill Scott in blue cycling gear and red helmet smiling and looking at crowd on pavement. She is on a bicycle on the road flanked by two cyclists behind her.Getty Images
    Jill Scott in light blue cycling gear on a cycle. She is looking at camera in a victorious way with a fist bump. She is flanked by a cyclist behind her in grey cycling gear.Getty Images
    Jill Scott running on a path with hedges behind her. She is wearing a white top and green trainers.Getty Images
    Jill Scott looks emotional as she puts her hand to her mouth. She is wearing a yellow cycling top and a red helmet. There are people in the crowd behind her taking photos.Getty Images

  12. Follow the progress on a live tracker

    There's a live tracker following Jill's progress as she makes her way to the finish line in Sunderland - you can find it here.

    If you’d like to support Jill’s efforts as she attempts the Coming Home challenge for Sport Relief, head to the Sport Relief website to find out more.

    At least half of funds will support local Sport for Change projects - using sport to create safe, inclusive spaces - while the rest will fund Comic Relief’s wider work.

  13. Jill's journey in numbers

    So how exactly have those 388 miles (624 km) been divided?

    Monday: A 112-mile (180km) bike ride from Wembley Stadium to Villa Park in Birmingham

    Tuesday: Another bike ride - 99 miles (159.3km) to Everton Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool

    Wednesday: A 38-mile (61km) run to Manchester City's Joie Stadium

    Thursday: A "Tour-de France style" 111-mile (178km) cycle to the north-east of England

    Friday: A 28-mile (45km) marathon finish to the Stadium of Light in Sunderland

    Jill Scott arrives on her bike at Hill Dickinson StadiumGetty Images

    All smiles as Jill Scott arrives at Hill Dickinson Stadium on day two

  14. Epic challenge started at Wembley Stadium

    Jill started her challenge attempt outside Wembley Stadium, where she helped the Lionesses make history by winning Euro 2022, on Monday.

    Among those there to send her off were former footballer Jamie Redknapp and comedian Katherine Ryan along with schoolchildren.

    Wembley Stadium with an image of Jill Scott on it and the message Good Luck Jill in white and green writing on a blue background. The Wembley arch is seen above the bannerPA Media
    Jill Scott sets off from Wembley Stadium. She is on a bike with a brown frame and black tyres. She is wearing a red cycle helmet, black shorts and a black top. There are metal barriers and groups of children behind her.PA Media
    Jill Scott hugs Jamie Redknapp. She is wearing black clothes and her hair is in a plait down her back. Jamie Redknapp is wearing a light blue tracksuitPA Media

  15. Lioness legend Jill Scott nears end of 388-mile challenge

    Jill Scott wearing a yellow Sport Relief cycling jacket and red helmet as she greets supporters in the darkGetty Images

    Former Lioness Jill Scott has taken the long way home this week - in a Sports Relief challenge attempt beginning at Wembley Stadium and ending at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.

    It's been a week of pure endurance: running and cycling through wind and torrential rain, endless hills with footballers' knees, including a 38-mile ultramarathon.

    Jill has stopped at stadiums and community hubs that have formed part of her career, including Aston Villa, Everton, Manchester City and grassroots community team Bishop Auckland FC Ladies.

    She says she's "100% committed" to finishing the charity challenge as she wants to "make a difference". And while she has said she might "have to crawl over the finish line," the end is near.

    After one last push, with just one marathon to go, Jill will have travelled 388 miles (624km).

    And we'll be following her along those final steps - so stick with us.