A running story

I AM writing to invite your readers to pull on their trainers and take part in a new running event to hit the capital.

People signing up to Beat The Baton will be able to leave the MP3 Player at home - live music will be provided by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO).

Conductor Anthony Inglis will lead the world-renowned ensemble in an exhilarating medley of popular classical hits, including excerpts from Rossini's William Tell Overture and Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, as runners attempt to cross the finishing line before the final strains of music.

The event, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK, will take place in Battersea Park, on Monday, May 28.

Runners and walkers of all abilities and ages are urged to take up the unique challenge and help raise funds with every step for the leading healthcare charity's neurological, hospice and community-based services across the UK. This includes Sue Ryder Care - The Old Palace, in Ely, and Sue Ryder Care - Thorpe Hall Hospice, in Peterborough.

But people will have to be quick off the mark, places are filling up fast.

Runners will be given a professional training plan, as well as a specially-designed T-shirt and a medal when they cross the finishing line.

Raising funds has also been made easy through a partnership with www.justgiving.com, which provides a secure online fundraising facility. People can create a personal e-fundraising homepage and email the link to friends, family and colleagues, enabling them to make secure donations directly to Sue Ryder Care.

So what are you waiting for? Anyone wishing to take part in the event or to gain further information should call a special hotline on 0845 050 1953. People can also sign up online at www.suerydercare.org

VICTORIA GLOVER

Events and sponsorship manager

Sue Ryder Care