MEMORIES of loved ones will be close to the hearts of participants in a colourful Father's Day event at a Bradford club this Sunday.
The colourful extravaganza, the popular Sue Ryder Manorlands PaintRush, which raises funds for charity Sue Ryder, will take place at Bradford and Bingley Sports Club, on Wagon Lane, Bingley.
Entrants are invited to run, jog or walk a 5km course while getting covered in brightly coloured paint powder. There will also be fun obstacles to tackle along the route and a team from AB Jetting will add to the fun by spraying participants with pressure washers.
"It will be a memorable day held in the beautiful surroundings of Bradford and Bingley Sports Club," said Erica Baker, events manager at Bradford and Bingley.
"Everyone gets covered in environmentally-friendly powder paint. It'll definitely be a colourful event.
"We have 500 competitors signed up, which includes both children and adults."
Erica said she is taking part in PaintRush because of what Manorlands did for her dad, Keighley man Russ Fernley, who passed away eight years ago.
"I'm taking part in memory of my dad," said Erica. "Nobody knows what our family and I were going through, but the care and intimacy Manorlands showed allowed our family to have some beautiful lasting moments.
"Whether it's two hours or two days there, it all makes a difference.
"I can't put into words how much that meant to our family.
"Manorlands Hospice is a lovely place."
Erica's dad was a cricketer and she said he would have appreciated that Bradford & Bingley Sports Club is hosting the Colour Run - and on such a poignant day as Father's Day.
"It's the first time the club has hosted this event and hopefully it's the beginning of a long partnership. Our rugby lads are going to be involved."
Siblings Martha, 5, and Max, 2, along with their cousin Darcie, 4, from Denholme, have signed up in memory of their grandma, who was cared for at Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice in Oxenhope at the end of her life.
Martha and Max’s mum, Lucy Burkill, said: “Sadly, they were never able to meet their lovely grandma and so we choose to keep her memory alive and celebrate her birthdays with our children in different ways.
“This year’s PaintRush takes place the day before what would've been her 57th birthday, so it seemed a fitting event to take part in.
“We're hoping that through doing this, the children can also raise some money to give back to such a worthy cause, which helped our family so much in our time of need.”
Tickets are still available at £10 for adults and £5 for under 18s. Entry on the day will be accepted but at an additional £5 charge per ticket. Registration for the event is at 11am on Sunday.
Following the event the fun will continue with music, food, ice cream and a bar, so participants can stay into the afternoon.
For more information and to sign up, visit sueryder.org/paintrush.
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