MORE THAN 2,000 people gathered in Oldbury-on-Severn on Sunday for the village’s annual fun run.

The annual 3.77 mile run which starts and finishes in Oldbury, saw more than 500 take part during a well-timed sunny break in the otherwise rainy weekend.

Runners were supported all the way around the course by family and friends, with crowds gathering at the end of the race, outside the Anchor Inn.

But it was not just the chance to spectate the run that brought the crowds in with a number of food stalls, children’s entertainment from Punch and Judy, and an impressive exhibition of vintage tractors, a new attraction this year.

We had a fantastic day,” said the fun run’s chairman Chris Awde.

“It was packed which made for a great family atmosphere.

“While the weather was not pleasant throughout most of the weekend, but for the run we had a lucky window of sunshine, which really boosted the mood.

“We had actually just finished the presentations as the weather started to turn so it was perfect timing.”

The fastest time of the day was in fact set by Mr Awde’s son David, who ran close to a course record in 19 minutes, 23 seconds. The fastest women’s time of the day was Nicola Brookland who ran an equally impressive time of 21 minutes, 48 seconds.

The event has raised over £75,000 for charity over the years and had set the target of raising £10,000 for a number of causes, including their main beneficiary CLIC Sargent.

This year’s run was the first time medals were presented to each runner, which were provided by the charity.

Mr Awde said: “We are hoping we have raised something in the region of our target of £10,000, but we are still collecting and counting so we do not know the exact amount yet.”

Mr Awde said: “We have had so much feedback from visitors saying how wonderful it was and that they will definitely be back next year.

“We spent a lot of time on Monday clearing it all away, which left us quite exhausted, but it is definitely worth the effort!”