Huge splash of colour on Shropshire dash for charity

The Macmillan Cancer Support's Colour Run was staged for the second time at the British Ironworks Centre near Oswestry today.

More than 1,300 people donned their running gear to take on the course and be liberally covered in a dusting of rainbow coloured powder paint.

The event draws entrants from all over the region willing to take on the 3km course which makes its way through the countryside close to the centre.

All money raised goes back in to the work carried out by Macmillan Cancer Support in Shropshire - from providing information centres to funding professionals in the county to work with those who are currently living with or who have experienced cancer.

Sponsored by Galliers Homes and Imperium Personal Training, those completing the colour run received a medal and t-shirt and the knowledge they had spent their Sunday morning doing something worthwhile.

One of the first teams home were Jacquie Bland-Roberts and her group of nine, including daughter Ellie, who is eight-years-old.

The team came from Llangollen and Jacquie, a project manager said: "We wanted to get up and do something active and this was ideal. It was really good fun. I did one a few years ago and my eldest daughter wanted to do this one.

"I'm not sure how far we ran in total as the girls wanted to get every colour so we kept going back."

Ellie added: "It was amazing. I liked it when we got soaking wet and then when they threw all the colour over us. My favourite one was the purple."

Beth Cleminson, 31, a project co-ordinator from Newtown was running with her friend Emma Vaughan, a 25-year-old marketing executive from Welshpool.

They were both covered with paint and, at one stage, Emma couldn't see where she was going for all the red paint on her face.

"It was harder than I thought it would be," said Beth, "but it was really good fun. Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves and there was an awful lot of paint being thrown."

Emma added: "We have been very lucky with the weather. We came to have fun and support a really good cause."

Sam Kell and her partner Keith Stewart had travelled from Ruthin to take part.

The 42-year-old medical secretary said: "We loved it. I have lost a couple of relatives to cancer and I have done a colour run before for Nightingale House in Wrexham and we thought we would do this one as well.

"It was a last minute thing but we are really glad we did."

Kate Thomas, Macmillan fundraising manager for Shropshire, said she was delighted with the day, which wouldn't have been possible without the help and support of the Ironworks Centre and the band of volunteers who man the paint stations, information points, start and finish lines and generally help out.

"Without them we could not do this," said Kate. "We had extra help from the Girl Guides and from the county commissioner Clare Shinton. They all really do make this event such a success."

Last year, the colour run raised £14,500 for the charity, and Cline Knowles, owner of the Ironworks Centre is confident that record will be beaten.

"This year is going to be a record-breaker," he said.

"There is so much local support for Macmillan that we are confident we will beat last year's total. We all know somebody who has been affected by cancer so we know how important the work of Macmillan is."