RIDGEWAY runners raised more than £900 for Headway Swindon and District.

The team presented a cheque for the £200 it raised on the day to a representative for the charity on Friday.

Other runners raised an extra £700 between them by taking part in the second Ridgeway Run in September and money is still coming in.

In total, 280 runners took part in the trail run, with adults jogging and sprinting over 10 miles or five miles and children enjoying their own course.

Rosemary White, the mother of Ridgeway Run team member Nancy Lawson, uses Headway’s Swindon centre on a regular basis.

Nancy was motivated to raise money for the charity after seeing the difference it has made to her loved one’s life.

Rosemary used to be a jockey but retired after receiving a head injury in the early ‘80s.

Nancy said: “Mum has been coming here for 10 years and she loves it, it’s the one time of the week where she can do her own thing and be independent.

“She comes home and tells us all about what she’s been up to.

“It’s brilliant.”

Catherine Brown from Headway Swindon was thrilled with the impressive amount that the Ridgeway Run raised.

She said: “It’s an amazing total – we’re delighted to work with the Ridgeway Run team, they’re really supportive.

“It was great to raise awareness of the charity and have our name branded on all the T-shirts.

“Rosemary’s a lovely lady, she’s a great character and it’s lovely for her to come here, see her friends and maintain her independence as much as possible.

“Emma McIntosh and Patricia Cleverley came to see me earlier this year and asked if Headway could be their charity and of course I said yes.”

The centre has 95 clients and re-teaches skills that they have lost due to brain injuries by using cognitive rehabilitation therapy, social rehabilitation and brain training exercises.

It costs £360,000 to run the centre each year and it has been supporting local residents with head injuries and their families since 1989.

Nancy Lawson is now getting ready to run next year’s London Marathon to raise even more money for the charity.

Nancy added: “I finished the London Marathon in four hours and 42 minutes last time and I’m hoping to beat that next year.”

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nancy-lawson1