Overgate Colour Run

At 11 am on the 13th of July, thousands of people hit Savile Park and took part in the Overgate Hospice colour run. During the event, runners are doused in coloured powder at intervals along the 5k route, culminating in a ‘Colour Party’ at the finish line.

The Overgate Colour Run has been running for 10 years now and is a chance for the community to help raise funds for the hospice.

Overgate Hospice provides expert care, support, advice and information for patients who have a terminal illness or a long-term condition that cannot be cured - also known as life-limiting - and their families, carers and loved ones.

Active Collaboration

As part of the drive to make physical activity more accessible and inclusive, Active Calderdale supported Overgate Hospice with a £1,852 ticket donation, these were distributed as free coupons to Calderdale residents via active champions and organisations in priority areas. This allowed individuals and families to come together and enjoy being active whilst giving something new a try.

The free coupons helped eliminate the cost barrier to participation and in total, 133 people benefitted from the scheme (67 Adults, 66 Children).

"Thank you very much for the vouchers for the families from Park Ward. 46 people went to the event they had a great time. The children had great fun and a few ladies said it’s lifted their mood up. Thank you very much, all of you who made it possible."

Samina Arshad - Ward Link Worker, Halifax Central Initiative

"Seeing the communities of all ages come together was a real highlight. A massive thank you to Sofie for all your support."

Nikki Scholey - Overgate Hospice

Fun for all the family

Julia Earey of Illingworth, North Halifax, took part in the event with her family after receiving one of the coupons. Julia describes below what it was like taking part in the event for the first time with her husband Oliver and daughter Emily.

How did you find the colour run?

"I saw the advertisement on Facebook about Colour Run. I haven’t completed an event like this before but my husband did about 7 years ago. I remember seeing pictures of him all covered in different bright colours and smiling. I thought we should do it together and I'm happy we did. We had so much fun together. The highlight was that our daughter Emily, who’s only 4 years old, completed all three laps which was approximately 5 km without any complaints! She was running, walking, dancing with a big smile. I would definitely consider doing an event again. It’s so worth it."

Were there any barriers to you taking part in the event before this opportunity came about?

"If I am honest there were barriers - the price. It’s quite expensive. Even though I understand that money goes to charity, £50 per family is a lot. I have no idea how I found your email - it’s Facebook again. When the opportunity came I just texted you and no regrets. What a beautiful day that was! By the way, a lot of people asked me where I found out about the event, they didn’t know about it, and they would have joined."