Shropshire Star

From park run to panto for Telford runners

They would normally be preparing for a New Year's Day run with 700 other people but instead, a group of park runners are trying their hand at pantomime.

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Marie Mason, Maureen Morgan, Kim Fawke and Jenny Aldridge prepare for their performance on New Year’s Eve

With park runs across the country currently on hold, the organisers at Telford have been facing up to the cancellation of their New Year's Day event – the biggest on their calendar, where more than 700 people normally turn out.

But, after a suggestion from one of the group's directors, they have been rehearsing their own online version of Aladdin, which they will perform live on New Year's Eve to raise money for charity.

The event, which starts at 7.30pm on December 31, features several members of the group – and a couple of children.

They are raising money for the Severn Hospice and Missing People UK.

Kim Fawke, who is starring as The Emperor of China, in the production, said they hoped the event would bring a smile to some faces after a miserable 2020.

She said: "We just really wanted to do something to raise money for the local community and have a bit of a laugh and bring some cheer to people when they are stuck in the house not doing anything so the hope is we will raise quite a bit of money."

Kim said the plan had escalated from an initial idea for a Christmas message.

She said: "We thought we could maybe do a song or a Christmas message so we de didn't know we would eventually be doing Aladdin – it just kind of snowballed and we thought 'let's try and raise some money'."

Tickets start from £7 and are available at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/131915939125

For more information about the group visit facebook.com/telfordparkrun

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