People of all ages from Nuneaton walked, skipped and ran together at the weekend to help raise money for the Mary Ann Evans Hospice as they took part in the Nuneaton Fun Run – organised by the Nuneaton Town Community Foundation and sponsored by one of Nuneaton’s largest employers, Triton Showers.

The event was part of the newly formed Nuneaton Town Community Foundation’s initiative to encourage young people from the area into sports and educate them from an early age on what makes a healthy lifestyle through a wide range of engaging schemes. The club’s partnership with local company Triton Showers, announced late last year, got the ball rolling and ensured the Foundation’s plans could be put into action.

On the day over 100 participants tackled the 5km course starting from Riversley Park and working their way around the town centre before crossing the finishing line. Even the little ones got involved by taking part in the ‘Toddler Trot’ around the Park, a fun event especially for children aged between 1 and 3 years old.

Les Horton from Nuneaton Harriers, who ran in memory of his sister Molly Kinahan (who sadly passed away on 20th May 2011), was the overall winner with a time of 19 minutes 29 seconds. Claire Hobson from Coventry was the first woman to finish with a time of 20 minutes 8 seconds and Jake Baxter, 10 years from Camp Hill in Nuneaton, was the first child over the line.

Tina Simpson, marketing director at Triton Showers said:

“It was really encouraging to see the whole community join together on Sunday to raise money for such a worthy cause and have fun at the same time. We have supported the Nuneaton Town Community Foundation’s plans since last year and our backing has also helped them secure additional like-for-like funding through Sport England’s ‘Sportsmatch’ programme, which has given a real boost to the Foundation’s ongoing plans. This extra funding means the Foundation can progress activities such as ‘Particip8’ which aims to engage with 20 local schools and develop a 40 week, multi-sports programme aimed at girls aged 7 to 16, to encourage them to enjoy sports.

“The Hospice does such valuable work for so many in the Nuneaton area, and it is good to know that the money raised through everyone’s hard work will make a significant contribution towards maintaining this over the year ahead.”

Steve Farmer from the Nuneaton Town Community Foundation was in charge of organising the Fun Run and encouraging local teams to take part. He said:

“We were absolutely amazed and delighted by the amount of people who got involved in the Fun Run on Sunday. Through the Nuneaton Town Community Foundation, we already have some amazing projects underway – from allotments, through to a children’s gym. Everything we do with support from Triton is designed to show local adults and children how leading a healthier lifestyle can be easy and fun – so the Fun Run was the perfect event for us.

“All of the money raised is going directly to the Mary Ann Evans Hospice, so everyone who got up early on Sunday to get involved deserves a big thank you for supporting such a good cause.”

All money raised from the Nuneaton Fun Run will go directly to fund the good work carried out by the Hospice, which this year celebrates its 20^th Anniversary of caring for people from the local area.

For more information on the Nuneaton Town Community Foundation visit their facebook site: www.facebook.com/followNHAC. Those interested in volunteering or donating a container should contact Steve Farmer at Nuneaton Town Football Club at steve.farmer@nuneatontownfc.com.

Further information on Triton Showers visit www.tritonshowers.co.uk or call 02476 324746 for a brochure.