The organisers of the Essar Chester 2016 Half Marathon expect runners in the May 15 race to raise well in excess of half a million pounds this year.
Joint race organiser of Active Leisure Events Chris Hulse said: “The fabulous fundraisers did themselves proud last year by raising £575,000 in total for a spread of local and national charities.
“The indications are that this year they will do even better. This event has a long history of working with local charities and each year an amount from the race entry fees is donated to the official race charity. We are pleased to be supporting the Countess of Chester Hospital’s Babygrow Appeal again as the nominated race charity with other charities the runners are raising funds for including the Claire House Hospice, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, The Chelsea Burley Trust and Rethink Mental Illness.
Head of fundraising at the Countess Lesley Woodhead said: “Last year we had an amazing day and raised over £42,000 for Babygrow and so we are so pleased to be working with Active Leisure again – they put on a great day, enjoyed by runners and spectators and bring a lot of revenue to Chester as well as helping so many charities raise funds.
“When the joy of a new baby is replaced with fear for their survival we want the very best facilities for the babies and their parents as they embark on their rollercoaster journey of care that may take months to the ‘happy ending.’
“The Babygrow Appeal aims to raise £3 million to build a new Neonatal Unit that will provide better facilities and a more spacious environment for our patients, the babies, and their families.”
The Essar Chester 2016 Half Marathon is now into its 35th year and it is expected that all 7,000 places in the event will be filled.
Information about the event, how to enter it and how to run for charity can be found on www.chesterhalfmarathon.co.uk.
