A charity run aimed at bringing communities together will go ahead in April.

Isle Listen and The Children’s Centre will be hosting a running event at the NSC called The Great Manx Run and are inviting any Manx charity, club or association to take part and raise funds for their chosen local cause.

According to a statement, the event’s organisers are ’keen to celebrate the inclusivity’ of the island by ’bringing all sorts of causes close to our hearts’.

Joff Whitten, head of The Children’s Centre, said: ’We’re only a team of 23 staff at The Children’s Centre, yet one of our key fundraising activities is challenge events for the whole island.

’We felt we could offer this experience to help other organisations to join in and raise funds. We are also very committed to being a collaborative organisation, which enables us to support as many people as we can.’

The event will be open to runners of all abilities to run a choice of one-mile fun run, a relay (with a team of four each running just over six miles), a half-marathon or a full marathon.

Isle Listen’s head of marketing, Symon Walmsley, added: ’Many people tell us that they find it very beneficial having a challenge to work towards to encourage them to get out and exercise during the darker, winter months which in turn has a positive impact on their mental health.

’No matter which local charity, club or association each runner decides to support, we hope that by bringing our community together in this way will boost people’s mental and, of course, their physical health.’

The Fun Run will take place at the NSC Raceway, and the half and full marathons will also use the Heritage Trail.

It will take place on April 9, 2022 and charities, clubs or associations are urged to register interest at www.greatmanxrun.im. More information will follow in the new year.