Trinity Churches run 2017 Shrewsbury Half Marathon for charity

A team of six runners from Trinity Churches, Shrewsbury, will be taking on the Shrewsbury Half Marathon on Sunday 18^th June to raise money for a life-changing charity, Opportunity Pre-School.

Judged as Outstanding by OFSTED, Opportunity Pre-School is a fully inclusive pre-school for children of all abilities. It enables children with special needs to play and develop alongside their peers in a vibrant and child-focused environment, with the support of caring and enthusiastic adults. Children are encouraged to explore and discover in the open-plan setting which encourages free flow between rooms and plenty of time in nature and fresh air, thanks to the outdoor learning spaces.

Described by Opportunity’s families as ‘like being part of a family’ and meaning ‘belonging, friendship and inspiration’, this is clearly a pre-school that provides an exceptional learning environment for children, no matter their ability.

With the Shrewsbury Half Marathon well known for its strong community spirit, Opportunity is the ideal charity for the Trinity Churches team who know what a difference their fundraising will make to this important local cause. The Pre-School already works to raise funds to supplement the income from session fees, in order to keep fees as low as possible for local families. On top of this, all funds raised by the six runners will go towards the upkeep of the setting, updating of equipment (in particular the equipment to facilitate special needs) and maintaining highly trained staff.

With less than two weeks to go until the Shrewsbury Half Marathon, training has been in full swing for the Trinity Churches runners as well as for the many other runners from near and far taking on this popular 13.1-mile race. Runners can look forward to a friendly welcome, superb crowd support, a first-class venue at the Shropshire County Showground and a stunning course that offers a mix of historic town and lush green countryside.

The Shrewsbury Half Marathon will be started by the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Jane MacKenzie, and local running celebrity Amy Hughes, of 53 Marathons fame, will be leading the warm-up before running the race herself.

Excitement is also brewing for young runners aged 8-11 entered into the Kids’ Race, whereby they run 12 miles of the half marathon distance in the weeks leading up to the race before completing the final 1.1 miles on race day.

Director of UKRunChat Joe Williams commented, “The Shrewsbury Half Marathon always has the interests of the community at its heart and we are delighted to welcome a team of runners from Trinity Churches raising money for Opportunity Pre-School. It is a fantastic local cause that makes a huge difference to families in the local area. We would like to wish the six runners the very best of luck for the race!

“There are limited places left for the Shrewsbury Half Marathon and we would encourage anyone wishing to be on the start line to secure their place now. It promises to be the biggest and best Shrewsbury Half yet, and we couldn’t ask for a more beautiful setting”.

Georgina Gibbons, Teacher at Opportunity, added, “We are extremely touched that a team from Trinity Churches will be running the Shrewsbury Half to raise money for Opportunity. We are very proud of what we do at the Pre-School and it is absolutely wonderful to have the support of Trinity runners Andy, Corinne, Lizzy, Matt, Simon and Toby. A big thank you to all of them for their efforts so far, as I know they have been training hard! All funds raised at the race will enable us to continue caring for our children in the best way possible, which is always our number one focus.”

Trinity Churches hope to raise £550 for Opportunity Pre-School at the Shrewsbury Half Marathon. Their JustGiving page is: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ShrewsburyHalf

Registration for the Shrewsbury Half Marathon is still open and the last places are expected to sell fast. Entry costs £25.50 for affiliated athletes and £27.50 for non-affiliated athletes. Team entry (x 4) costs £102. Entry to the Kids Race is closed.

Visit http://www.ukrunchat.co.uk/shrewsbury-half-marathon/ for further details and to register, like UKRunChat on Facebook and follow @ShrewsburyHalf #RunShrewsbury on Twitter to keep up to date with all the latest news.