Thatcham family bring a bit of colour to fundraising event

Family among 700 people at the Oxford Colour Run

TWINS from Thatcham had a colourful time raising money for a children's hospice used by their own sister .

Victoria and Jessica Spencer-Ades, 13, ran the 3km Oxford Rainbow Run to give something back to Helen & Douglas House. The hospice supports their sister Charlotte who suffers from a rare form of epilepsy.

The sisters are part of the Elephant Club which supports the siblings of children who visit Helen House. They ran with their mother's partner Michael, while Charlotte and mum Sara cheered them on.

Jessica said"I ran the rainbow run in Oxford because I wanted to give something back to Helen & Douglas House but I wanted to have fun doing it too. The atmosphere there was amazing and the amount of people that turned out to support Helen & Douglas House was so huge."

Mr Spencer-Ades said; "Running round getting covered in paint, what more could I want to do on a Sunday morning but at the end of the day it’s all for a very good cause."

The family were among 700 people participating in the Oxford Rainbow Run on May 14, where runners are showered with coloured powdered paint along the 3km route.

The charity is aiming to raise £50,000 through this event towards the £5m needed to run the hospice each year. This could pay for four weeks of specialist medical care in both hospice houses and to those children being supported at home.

All participants received a goodie bag with a specially designed Rainbow medal at the finish line.

Activities fundraiser from Helen & Douglas House, Poppy Hanbury, said: “It was a fantastic day and everyone had great fun getting covered in paint all the colours of the rainbow. There were lots of children and families taking part which was wonderful including families who have close connections with the hospice. There were lots of smiles and laughter with everyone having a lot of fun. I would like to extend a big thank you to all our runners, our volunteers, paint point sponsors and everyone who helped put on this event.”

If you missed the Rainbow Run in Oxford, the charity will be holding another in Reading on Sunday, June 21. Visit www.hdh.org.uk for more information.