Shropshire County Show manager in Edinburgh Marathon

Wednesday 6th April 2011, 9:50AM BST.

Mary Hopkins is running the Edinburgh marathon in aid of the Shropshire & West Midland Agricultural Society

Shropshire County Show’s general manager is to take on a 26-mile challenge in a bid to ensure the society which runs the event survives for many generations to come.

Mary Hopkins is currently manning the office at the Berwick Road Showground in Shrewsbury as plans are finalised for this year’s event, which will take place on May 14 and 15.

But instead of kicking back and relaxing after the event she will be heading to Scotland to run the Edinburgh Marathon on May 22.

She said: “I am completely committed to The Shropshire & West Midlands Agricultural Society, a registered charity and am going to do everything I can to help get it back to its former glory days.

“After running for several charities in the past I now find myself working for the society, which is in much need of support.

“I feel passionately that I want to do all I can to help this society, not only to maintain the infrastructure, which is crumbling, but to raise the profile of the society in both the agricultural and local community so that it will survive for many generations to come.

“To this end I have decided to don running gear again and take up the challenge of the Edinburgh Marathon on May 22.

“A week after this year’s Shropshire County Show it will be a challenge. Training is very hard-going this time round but I am totally committed and my belief in the cause makes it worthwhile.”

More than 30,000 entrants are expecting to take part in the 2011 Edinburgh Marathon Festival. The run will begin in the city centre and take in Holyrood Park, Leith Links and Portobello Promenade, before heading through East Lothian and finishing in Musselburgh.

To sponsor Mary visit www.justgiving.com/Mary-Hopkins

View more: Shropshire County Show news.