Nearly 1,000 runners take part in annual event

PINK costumes were matched by pink faces as runners and walkers braved sweltering conditions to take part in Royston’s biggest charity trek.

The Pink Ribbon Run/Walk took place last Sunday, and hundreds of entrants took to the 3km course on Therfield Heath to raise cash for Marie Curie Cancer care.

Entrants young and old took part, among them Royston’s MP Oliver Heald and town mayor Martin Beaver.

Christine Brown, from the organising committee, said it was a “brilliant day.”

She said: “We had just under 1,000 registered runners, and while we don’t know how many of them took part, there seemed a lot more people than last year when there were 700-odd.

“We had some brilliant costumes and it was a really colourful field - lots of the little girls were wearing pink fairy wings and things like that and it was a brilliant occasion.”

Cllr Beaver said: “Having experienced first hand the pain from loosing Friends and close Family to cancer, I felt a deep admiration for not only the people that took part on the day but for the organisers who yet again did an unbelievable job once again.

“To see the sea of pink on the Heath was fantastic.”

Organisers are asking participants to pay sponsorship money in at Saffron Insurance, Royston, before the end of July.

An awards night, where prizes will be awarded to the top fundraisers, will be held on Friday October 1.