FORMER Bury FC striker Andy Bishop and his wife Arianne became the first two people in the town to sign up for the Bury Hospice Touch the Rainbow 5k Colour Run.

Mr Bishop, aged 34, originally hails from the Midlands but has settled in the town after becoming a favourite among Shakers fans, scoring 69 goals for the Gigg Lane club between 2006 and 2013.

He said: “Bury Hospice is a vital asset to the town and, having made the town our home, both Arianne and I are delighted to be the first to sign up for the event and it promises to be a huge, fun day for the family and we hope that lots of people sign up for the event.”

The Touch the Rainbow Colour Run, which will take place on Sunday, June 4, at Burrs Country Park, will be the second such run to be held to help raise funds for the hospice.

The run, which is over a 5km course and involves participants being covered in bio-degradable, non-toxic, coloured powder made from potato starch, was a huge hit for the hospice last year and anyone, over the age of five, can take part making it a real family event.

You don’t have to run the whole course, you can walk, hop or skip around the course if you wish.

Michelle King, who works on the fundraising team at Bury Hospice, said: “We are very grateful to Andy and Arianne for being the first two people to volunteer to take part in this year’s Touch the Rainbow Colour Run.

“Andy is a well-known sportsman in the town and was a fantastic player for the Shakers and we are delighted that he and Arianne have agreed to take part.

“We’ve even given him his favourite number 10 to run in.”

“We want our Rainbow Runners to try and raise as much money as possible and would ask, whilst there is no minimum amount, that participants try and raise at least £50 each through sponsorship.

“The registration fee alone would not allow us to cover the costs involved in staging the event but we want our runners to have a fantastic, fun, safe time whilst helping Bury Hospice raise vital funds to help us to provide this essential service for the people of the town.”

Anyone who would like to register for the run can do so by going to: www.buryhospice.org.uk

If you would like to set up an online fundraising webpage please go to our dedicated Everyday Hero link: https://www.everydayhero.co.uk/event/BuryColourRun2017