Cathedral Staff Put On Sunday Best For Great South Run

Entries for the Great South Run, the Great South Run 5k and the Junior and Mini Great South Run are open: Greatrun.org/South

Clergy and members of Portsmouth Cathedral staff will hit the pavements of Portsmouth later this month for the Great South Run in support of local charities.

The world’s leading ten-mile run, which takes place on Sunday 23 October, will once again take in iconic landmarks around the south coast including the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Spinnaker Tower and Portsmouth Cathedral before finishing on the picturesque sea front with beautiful views of the Isle of Wight.

This year, runners from the cathedral, which runners pass on the first mile of the course, will be raising money in support of local charities.

The Dean of Portsmouth, the Very Reverend David Brindley, Canon Chancellor Peter Leonard, Canon Dawn Banting, Lay Canon Debbie Sutton, and parishioners Mr Mark Pittaway and Georgie Poole will all be running for The EC Roberts Centre.

The EC Roberts Centre is a unique child focused charity in Portsmouth providing services across the city of Portsmouth, as well as Havant, Gosport, Southampton, and Aldershot, offering a range of services offering support and assistance to families in addressing their situation of homelessness or dealing with the issues of relationship breakdown.

Meanwhile, Portsmouth Cathedral marketing coordinator John Bolt will be running again this year for The Elizabeth Foundation.

Fiona Heath, Fundraising Manager at The Elizabeth Foundation, said: “As we celebrate our 35th birthday this year we are extremely grateful to our loyal supporters such as John and his sponsors because it is down to the generosity of the general public who’ve enabled us to help families not only in Portsmouth and the surrounding areas but those who travel from nine counties so their deaf children can learn to listen and speak.

“This September, 84 babies and pre-school children will be joining our specialist programmes, none of which would be possible without community support.”

The weekend also features the Great South Run 5k, a popular event for first-time runners looking to take their first steps to the longer distance, and the Junior and Mini Great South Run, for the runners of the future.

The weekend has grown into a festival of sport, with nearly 30,000 people taking part in four events across the two days.

To enter the Great South Run, the Great South Run 5k or the Junior and Mini Great South Run, visit Greatrun.org/South