AROUND 1,100 people braved the morning drizzle on Saturday to take part in the first ever Run the Rainbow event in aid of Prospect Hospice.

The runners turned out at the Science Museum in Wroughton to chase the five-kilometre route while volunteers pelted them with paint powder to raise money for the Wroughton-based charity.

Sheryl Henderson, 39 and children Charlie, seven, and Emily, eight, took part in the event with friend Michaela Kirby, 34 and daughter Olivia, nine.

Sheryl, of Redhouse, Swindon, said: “I’m taking part because Prospect have done so much to support some of my friends and family.

“We did a few runs over the summer and we were all really looking forward to it.”

Michaela, of St Andrew’s Ridge, said: “I work at the hospital with some of the Prospect nurses, and I wanted to run today to show my support for them.

“The work they do is amazing, I know some of them are taking part today too.”

Emily said she was most looking forward to the opportunity to get covered in paint.

“I’m really excited because we get to have paint thrown about us and get dirty, and we’re never allowed to get dirty,” she said.

“We have raised £405 so far. I just asked people to sponsor us and that’s how we raised the money.”

The money raised from the event will help to fund the £7.2m running costs of the charity.

Genevieve Arny, Prospect’s community events manager, said: “This was Swindon’s first ever colour run.

“It is a 5km run where people start off with a white t-shirt and as they go around coloured paint is thrown at them. We were lucky enough to have the support of the Science Museum to hold the event which meant we can do it along the whole of the route.

“It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a long time. The support has been overwhelming. We sold out of places which goes to show how much people wanted something like this in Swindon.

“We wouldn’t have been able to organise this without the support of the just under 200 volunteers who joined the rapid response team to help out.

“Being a small local charity we wouldn’t have been able to put on such a large event without them.”

To find out more about the charity visit www.prospecthospice.net