Keen runners are being urged to take part in a picturesque run to raise money to keep one of the country’s finest tree collections growing stronger.

The Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum are inviting participants to sign up for an annual 10k run through The National Arboretum in Westonbirt.

The race will be held at 7pm on Wednesday May 23, and participants who managed to raise a minimum of £90 in sponsorship for the arboretum will have their entry fee for the occasion waived.

They will also receive a free Westonbirt 10k T-shirt, plus a 15 per cent discount on sports gear at RunnersNeed.com.

Last year’s event, organised by the Forestry Commission, proved hugely successful, with the 10k run attracting 100 fundraising runners. Between them, they raised over £10,000 for the continuing conservation of the arboretum.

The National Arboretum at Westonbirt is one of the UK’s finest tree collections, and one of the world’s most important arboreta. It is also one of the most popular attractions the region, attracting over 450,000 visits each year.

It was planned from the 1850s onwards by Robert Holford, whose family owned the large estate centred on Westonbirt House. Using a family fortune, earned through the supply of water to London, Holford financed and oversaw a huge planting programme, which hinged on the work of some of the Victorian age’s leading botanists.

Robert’s son Sir George Holford took over the arboretum project, and much of the collection as it exists today is due to his vigour in pursuing the project.

In 1956, the arboretum was bequeathed to the Forestry Commission who have continued to improve and expand on the work of the family.

Interested participants should now sign up and create their own fundraising page at fowa.org.uk/support-us/fundraise.

General entry for non-fundraisers opens on Monday 12 February.

For further information on the event, visit: forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt-events.