It's not every day that Spiderman comes face-to-face with Minions, Ghostbusters and NHS workers, but the Heroes & Villains Fun Run brought the whole community together, assembling in Trowbridge Park on Sunday 25 June.
Raising awareness and vital funds for local charity Julian House, the event was organised by the Trowbridge Youth Parliament, bringing together 11 primary schools and their year 6 representatives. Each school had their own stall ranging from face painting and mask making to books, toys, cakes and a smoothie bike; on which participants rode whilst making delicious home-made smoothies at the same time.
The fun run itself was free to all and proved extremely popular. Over 200 people signed up to tackle the 2K challenge, which meant two laps of the park in sweltering summer conditions. As Mario and Luigi sped past an Oompah Loompah and Batgirl, excitement levels were high – especially after a strenuous warm-up from the team at Active Trowbridge.
Gavin Osborn, fundraiser for Julian House said “It was wonderful to see families and people of all ages on the fun run. We have a popular Bike Workshop in Trowbridge as well as other services for vulnerable and at-risk people in the South West, but for many this was their first chance to hear about Julian House and the work we do. Bringing everyone together, especially having all the stalls organised by the Trowbridge Youth Parliament, feels especially important. They've been so committed to raising money for us and making this a really special day”.
The fun run was sponsored by Selwood Housing, which meant that everything was in place for a really safe and friendly event. With a wonderful first aid and security team on site, families felt safe to encourage their superhero children to relax and enjoy the day. All runners completed the event and were rewarded with certificates and stickers.
Thanks to all the donations and support from the Trowbridge Youth Parliament, over £600 was raised for Julian House, which will go towards helping them support rough sleepers across the area. A truly heroic effort from everyone!
