Hundreds of young runners laced up their shoes this weekend for a family fun run with a difference.

Youngsters toddled, walked and ran round the one-mile circuit at Gulliver’s Valley Theme Park in the glorious sunshine, all in aid of a charity close to their hearts.

With £5 from every £15 entry (which included park admission) this year’s event supported local charity, Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice. The two-day event raised a whopping £1,860 for the charity, with 373 runners crossing the finish line as part of the family fun run.

Andy Flowers, resort manager at Gulliver’s Valley theme park, said “We were so pleased to welcome so many runners to the resort all doing something great for a wonderful local charity.

"The community we are part of is really important to us so we love to be involved in events such as this where everyone is enjoying the atmosphere and having a good time in aid of a worthy cause.”

Ruth Wallbank, Regional Fundraising Manager at Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, added “We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part in this weekend’s family fun runs.  It was amazing to see so many of you completing the one-mile circuit- especially in this hot weather!  We’d also like to thank Gulliver’s Valley for choosing us as their beneficiary charity- it means such a lot to the children and families we support.

“Thanks to the generosity of Gulliver’s Valley and their customers, we can continue to be there for local children and families going through some of the toughest times imaginable.”