NEARLY £128,000 was raised in aid of Grove House as a result of last year s Herts 10K Challenge. Not only were there double the number of entries compared to the inaugural race in 2006 but the target figure of raising £100,000 was well and truly breached.

NEARLY £128,000 was raised in aid of Grove House as a result of last year's Herts 10K Challenge.

Not only were there double the number of entries compared to the inaugural race in 2006 but the target figure of raising £100,000 was well and truly breached.

A total of 2,043 runners took part in the race sponsored by Levy Associates which starts and ends at Rothamsted in Harpenden, and their efforts in collecting their sponsorship money resulted in a cheque for £127,908 for Grove House, the St Albans day hospice.

As well as the excellent feedback from runners, the Herts 10K Challenge has recently been listed in the 2008 February edition of Runners World magazine, the official voice of running in the UK.

The magazine rated the run as number 36 on its countdown of the 50 Best British Races of 2007 which is an excellent result for a newly-established and growing race.

The Herts 10K Challenge, organised by Fast Talk Promotions, has become the flagship fundraising event for Grove House and the total raised from the 2007 race is the largest amount of money ever raised from one single event for the charity.

Paul Parrish, fundraising director at Grove House, said: "The money raised from this wonderful event is crucial in helping Grove House maintain its current excellent range of services.

"It has also given us the confidence to launch a new service, 24 hour Hospice at Home, a first for the people of St Albans.

"I would like to say thank you to the Herts 10K Challenge and the support of Lawrence Levy, managing director of Levy Associates, his staff, Fast Talk Promotions plus all the many, many volunteers and runners who helped leading up to the event and on the day The planned expansion of Grove House services for terminally ill people in St Albans has now become a reality."

A prize of an all-expenses-paid use of a Porsche Cayman for the weekend was won by Guy Clark who raised the largest amount of money, £2,445, while runner-up David Chalk, who raised £2,406, won a driving experience at Porsche's test track in Millbrook.

A prize draw for all those who raised more than £100, supported by Thomson Holidays, was won by Nina Davis who can take a week's all-expenses paid holiday for a family of four to a Mediterranean destination. Ten pairs of flights to some of Thomson's new European destinations were won in a draw for those who raised £50 and over. They have gone to John Card, Nicola Rogers, Tom Horne, Sheila Driscoll, Andrew Dennehey, Lisa Gallagher, Annette Holroyd, Robert Michaelson-Yeates, Becky Viccars and Robin Gooden.

Lawrence Levy described the race as, "an amazing success for Grove House" and thanked both the runners who took part, the volunteers on the day and the sponsors who included Maximuscle, RBS, Asics, Thomson Holidays, Porsche Centre Hatfield, Waitrose and all the local businesses whose support had been important to the success of the race over the last two years.

This year's race is being held from 10am at Rothamsted on Sunday, October 10, and looks set to attract more than 3,000 people. For the first time fast walkers will be able to participate, setting off after the runners have started.

All runners with sponsorship money still outstanding can send it direct to Herts 10K Challenge, Grove House fundraising department, Waverley Road, Herts AL3 5QX or call Jackie Dellar on 01727 731009.