The clocks going back didn’t stop more than 4,000 people from arriving before 9:30 for this year’s annual Arriva Scouse 5K run, set up by Merseyraces.
Thousands of people in multicoloured wigs descended on St George’s Hall early on Sunday morning to participate, with Councillor Ann O’Byrne on hand to start the race.
The course would take those participating through Mount Pleasant, down through Myrtle Street and Bold Street, before the grand finish on Lord Street where there were observers and wig-wearing drummers alike to welcome those finishing.
The Scouse 5K Run’s official partner this year was R Charity, consisting of Liverpool Royal and Broadgreen University Hospitals.
Cash raised at this event will help towards the charity’s new project, to fund a mobile breast screening unit across Liverpool, providing a service for the whole Merseyside region.
YouTube: Tom Battison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDPnXMb7Y_4
Event organiser Matt Davies, spoke to JMU Journalism about the history of the event and its impact. He said: “This is our fourth year, so we’ve just got bigger and bigger. We’ve got a good cause in the city centre, and we’re really pleased with it.
“We’ve done the John West spring 10K for seven years now, and a few years back I just thought to do something a bit more fun- and I just thought, Scousers, wigs, and it went from there.
“Everyone just has fun and it brings people together. Families, colleagues do it, and it’s the first time for a lot of people who have never done anything like this before.”
On the additional feature of the wigs, Matt said: “I’d be interested to see if it worked anywhere else, I’m not too sure it would. We’ve got the whole thing of the wigs and the 80s, you know, now it’s just about laughing at ourselves.
“We’ve worked closely with the charities with this event, we’re so pleased with it. Awareness is so important, and if people don’t know about the charity, no one’s going to raise funds for it.”
Twitter: Tom Battison
Wig wearing participants at the ready for this year’s charity Scouse 5K run, taking over St George’s Hall this morning. @JMUJournalism pic.twitter.com/Le7bEpnnVT
— tom b (@battison_tom) October 27, 2019