Rainbow Rush raises £4,000 for St Teresa's Hospice

Hundreds of men, women and children took part in a Rainbow Rush in July to raise funds for St Teresa’s Hospice in Darlington.

The town's Blackwell Meadows was transformed into a kaleidoscope of colour as competitors were pelted with powder as they completed five laps of the fields.

The hospice needs to raise £4m a year to provide free in-patient and community care for people living with life-limiting illnesses and their families in Darlington, South Durham and North Yorkshire, and has announced the Rainbow Rush generated almost £4,000.

For a group of running friends the event provided the perfect opportunity to stretch their legs and support a much-loved charity.

Dog owners Alli Pentland, Nicola Mattison, Leanne Kane and Sharon Pearson-Turner began to run together before work and have also competed in the Great North Run in aid of a variety of good causes.

Alli said: “I have lost someone quite recently and they were helped in their final moments by staff at St Teresa’s Hospice who did a great job.

“It is hard for charities at the moment and I did feel guilty asking for sponsorship because everyone is struggling with the cost of living crisis – so I was particularly grateful to the people who supported us with donations which are so important to St Teresa’s.”

Leanne added: “The Rainbow Rush has been a really fantastic experience and I will certainly be doing it again next year.”

St Teresa’s director of income generation Jo Wallis said: “It was fabulous seeing so many people of all ages sign up for the Rainbow Rush and have a great time. It proved to be a triple whammy in that people had fun, benefitted from the exercise and raised vital funds for the hospice.”

Anyone wanting to support the hospice with donations or their time can click here.