Derian House Colour Run
More than 400 local people have raised an incredible £22,000 for Derian House Children’s Hospice after the Chorley-based charity staged its first ever Colour Run.
The 1.5km event, held on the fields next to Derian’s Chancery Road home was the culmination of six months’ planning by staff and volunteers, supported by main sponsor Vincents Solicitors.
Many of the people taking part were the families and friends of the children under the care of Derian House, which provides on-going, respite and end-of-life care to more than 400 babies, children, and young people across the North West.
Kerry Salmon, community fundraiser for Derian House, said: “It will cost £6million to run services at Derian House in 2025, and so every step and every splash of paint helps us continue to do what we do.”
Lancashire law firm Vincents Solicitors was proud to be the official sponsor of the vibrant event which was held on Sunday 28 June.
Lisa Lodge, Vincents’ Private Client Director, was part of the Vincents team which took part in the run itself. She said: “The energy, enthusiasm and joy of the day was truly warming. The organising and fundraising team did a fantastic job, a real tribute to the remarkable work done at Derian House.”
The sun was shining and the atmosphere bustling as guests arrived to collect their Colour Run t-shirts, buy raffle tickets, and play on the grass. Around 11.30am, the event kicked off with a fun and energizing Zumba class to warm everybody up, led by local instructor Sylvia Skinner. Music, laughter, and sunshine filled the field with community spirit, the coloured powder was ready to be thrown.
As the run was about to begin, host and Derian House Community Ambassador Neil Hailwood gathered the crowd together, each armed with a pouch of coloured powder. On the count of three, everyone launched their colour into the air.
The run then saw young and old lacing up their trainers and running, jogging, or walking the route. Colour stations were positioned around the course where runners were pelted with yet more bright colours, and participants crossed the finish line with their white t-shirts now covered in a rainbow colour.
Kerry Salmon was delighted with how the day went. She said: “I want to say a massive thank you to all the runners, volunteers, businesses, sponsors, and staff who helped make Derian’s first ever Colour Run a success.
“It certainly was heart-warming to see the whole community having so much colourful fun on the day. It was such a vibrant and memorable day, and we can’t wait to do it all over again next year.
“Care is free to families at Derian House and we rely on our kind-hearted supporters to raise 70p in every £1 as we only receive a small amount of funding from the government, so this event means a huge amount to all of us.’’
The charity is accepting further donations through the fundraising page that can be found on the Derian House website: https://www.derianhouse.co.uk/fundraise-for-us/
Pictured: Participants from the day