COUNTY runners are pounding the streets and gearing up for this year's London Marathon in aid of St Richard's Hospice.

Street lighting engineer for Worcestershire County Council, Trevor McGill, has already run the London Marathon seven times, as well as the Paris Marathon in 2005 and two events in Cyprus.

The 46 year-old from Worcester said, " Although I have run a lot of marathons they are always special. I decided to run to raise funds for St Richard's because of the fantastic work they do and the fact they are a local hospice."

Clive Layland from Norton, is entering the marathon for the first time. The 57-year-old who works for Ringway Group Limited in Worcester said, " It is something I have wanted to do for a long while and will finally achieve that ambition soon. I have only run for pleasure in the past and found the sense of achievement I felt after running a 10k last year, helped me make up my mind to enter for the London Marathon."

Maureen Fearnside, of Northwick Road, Worcester, and Julie Payne who works at St Richard's Hospice, are also joining the team of runners raising funds for the charity in the marathon on Sunday, April 22.

Alison Weston, St Richard's community fund-raiser said, "We are very grateful to all our runners who are taking on this incredible challenge to raise funds for our work caring for patients and families with cancer and other life-threatening illness. We wish them all the very best of luck, and look forward to them crossing the finishing line."

If you want o sponsor any of the runners go to www.justgiving. com/strichards St Richard's moved into its new £5.25m hospice at Wildwood Drive, Worcester at the end of last year.

All the services are free and each year St Richard's cares for in the region of 1,600 patients with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses and their families.

Fund-raisers are now hard at work generating the £3.2m which needs to be raised this year to provide the ongoing specialist care and support for patients and families.