FOOTWEAR experts are getting ready to make a run for it with a colourful dash in aid of a charity.
Staff at Charles Clinkard, Darlington, are preparing themselves to be showered in a rainbow of coloured paint as they take part in the annual St Teresa’s Hospice Inflatable Colour Run Challenge.
Charles Clinkard, which is the main sponsor of the event, will be fielding a ten-strong team of Darlington store staff including Jackie Wood, Lucy Hollinshead and Ellie Williams, head office technical manager Roger West, software developer Paul Graham and IT support Sam Naisbit, former manager of Charles Clinkard Lincoln store Emma Laverton and friends Izzy Wilkinson, Helen Bellas and Freya Hollinshead.
They will join hundreds of sponsored runners who will make their way over ten inflatable obstacles, with four paint stations en-route, where they will be splattered from head to toe in brightly coloured non-toxic paint.
All funds raised from the event will help to support St Teresa’s Hospice, Woodland Road, Darlington, which provides free care and support for residents of Darlington, South West Durham and North-Yorkshire who are affected by life-limiting illness.
Charles Clinkard, who joined St Teresa’s Hospice as a trustee in 2018, said: “St Teresa’s is a fabulous organisation.
“It’s wonderful that we can show our support for the hospice and help to raise awareness of the work it does by getting our staff to take part in the challenge and getting them covered in paint.”
The St Teresa’s Inflatable Colour Run Challenge will take place at Longfield Academy, Darlington, on July 14. Runners, aged five and over, wearing white T-shirts, will be set off in two waves at 11am and 1pm.
Competitors and spectators can also enjoy a full day of action packed fun, with music, activities, stalls and refreshments.
Sales assistant Lucy Hollinshead, 18, of Darlington, said: “I’ve never done anything like this before but it looks like it’s going to be a good day and a great way to raise money for St Teresa’s.”
Ellie Williams, 18, of Darlington, added: “St Teresa’s Hospice is right on our doorstep so this is a good way of finding out more about the organisation and what it does as well as having a lot of fun.”
Entrants must sign up in advance. To register for the St Teresa’s Inflatable Colour Run Challenge log on to www.support.darlingtonhospice.or.uk/pages/inflatable-colour-run-challenge or pick up an entry form from the hospice or any one of its shops.
Entry fees adults (16+) £20, children (5-15) £10, family (two adults, two children) £50. Minimum sponsorship £20 per adult.
The event is also sponsored by Drive Vauxhall Darlington, Sherwoods Durham, Glenwood Paint Supplies, MT Print, Darlington Building Society, Physique Fitness, Darlington Rotary, and is supported by Snap Fitness Darlington and Darlo Radio.
For additional information contact the events team at events@darlingtonhospice.org.uk or call (01325) 254321.