ORGANISERS are promising that the Wigan and Leigh 5K Colour Run will be ‘even bigger and better’ this year.

The event sees a mass of fundraisers get covered from head to toe in powdered paints as they run, jog or walk around a track at Pennington Flash Country Park in Leigh.

Last year more than 1,600 people took part in the annual event in aid of Wigan and Leigh Hospice in Hindley, raising nearly £24,000.

Organisers are hoping to better those numbers as they look forward to painting the town red, blue, purple, green, orange and yellow again from noon on Sunday, September 19.

“Last year’s event was a huge success,” said Mike Wearden, project and fundraising manager for the Wigan Warriors Community Foundation, which organises the fun run in partnership with Wigan and Leigh Hospice.

“It has truly become the biggest and most anticipated colour run in the borough and we will be making significant changes to make the event even bigger and better this year.”

Participants are given a bag of powder paint which is thrown into the air at the start of the run.

They are then covered in powder paints as they run past individual colour stations.

Maxine Armstrong, fundraising and lottery manager at the hospice on Kildare Street, said: “We are really excited for this year’s event.

“It is a fun event for the whole family that requires no training or specialist kit – just come along and have a great time.

“It is a good idea to wear white so that the colours will really stand out and by the end everyone is covered from head to toe.”

Early bird tickets for what will be the fourth Wigan and Leigh 5K Colour Run are now available starting at £12 for adults and £6 for under 15s.

Party packages are also available, which include a bag of paint, T-shirt, sunglasses, a rainbow tutu and a medal.

For more information about the event, or to sign up, visit wiganwarriors.com/colourrun or call 01942 762880.