For anyone inspired by the London 2012 Olympic Games to dust off their trainers and keep fit, the Grantchester Fun Run on Sunday 21 October offers the ideal opportunity to work up a sweat with a 3k or 10k scenic run while raising funds for the Big Push for the Rosie Hospital Campaign.
The second annual fun run organised by Grantchester Cricket Club welcomes experienced runners, novices and walkers of all ages. Dame Mary Archer has kindly agreed to do the honours as the official race starter at 10.30am from the meadow opposite the Blue Ball Inn in Grantchester.
The 10k cross-country route was devised by Francis Burkitt to raise the profile of the Quarter To Six Quadrant (QTSQ) – the rural area immediately south-west of Cambridge that includes Barton, Coton, Grantchester and Madingley parishes. As a rural route, apart from crossing some roads, the run will follow footpaths, permissive paths and bridleways. The 3k route will be run entirely within Grantchester Meadows. Participants will receive a commemorative t-shirt before the race plus a free bacon buttie and well-earned refreshments afterwards.
Steve Wilson, captain of Grantchester Cricket Club said: “The fun run promises to be a great event that we hope will draw a good crowd. We’re very proud to be supporting the modernisation of the Rosie. For many of us it’s where our children were born and having such a renowned hospital on our doorstep gives us a lot to be thankful for.”
Trudy Harper, ACT Community Fundraising Manager for the Rosie Hospital Campaign, said: “We’re delighted that the Grantchester fun runners will be out in force for the Big Push. Hopefully the incredible golden summer of sport will inspire plenty of people to give it a go. As part of our bid to raise £150,000 from the community by the end of 2012, every extra penny raised will help make a difference to benefit tiny newborns and their families.”
Entrants can view the route and register online in advance at www.grantchestercricket.com or turn up and pay on the day. The entry fee is £12 for the 10k race and £9 for the 3k race with proceeds from the sponsorship raised divided equally between the Rosie Hospital Campaign and Grantchester Cricket Club. Sponsors can log on to support the runners at: www.justgiving.com/GrantchesterFunRun
ACT, the dedicated charity for Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie hospitals, is managing the Big Push for the Rosie Hospital Campaign to raise an additional £150,000 from the local community this year.
To find out more please go to: www.therosiecampaign.org.uk or call 01223 217757. For more information about the event please contact Steve Wilson on 07825 815891 or email steve@hotelresuk.com.
bout the Rosie Hospital Campaign
The Rosie Hospital is recognised as one of the finest maternity hospitals in the country. Supported by charitable funding, the Rosie opened in 1983, since when much has changed. It was designed for approximately 4,000 births a year. In 2010-11 almost 5,800 babies were born at the Rosie and by 2020 that number is expected to increase to 7,500.
The new three-storey extension that opened in September 2012 will almost double the size of the existing maternity unit. It will mean the Rosie can continue to offer pregnant women, their families and new babies the very best standard of care. New facilities include:
- A brand new midwife-led birth centre with ten en-suite rooms for women with a low risk pregnancy
- An expanded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with 58 cots for babies born early or that need specialist attention
- New ‘home from home’ accommodation with eight en-suite bedrooms, a rest area and kitchen for parents with babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- A new Fetal Medicine and Day Assessment Unit for monitoring pregnant women and fetal development
- A dedicated counselling suite offering professional support when outcomes are not as planned. For patients and staff these new world-class resources will make an enormous day-to-day difference. The extra space will enable staff to help more women give birth in the comfort of their local hospital. The transformed Rosie will be a regional centre of clinical excellence for training and will aim to set new standards of care by advancing antenatal and neonatal development through research.