THIS year's OX5 Run is on course to be a record-breaker with more than £110,000 already raised for Oxford Children's Hospital.

Nearly 1,000 runners, joggers and walkers made their way around the five-mile Blenheim Palace course last month and donations and sponsorship money has flooded in over the past three weeks.

The deadline for donating to any of the inspirational teams or individuals is June 1 and the hospital's charity has called for a final push to beat the £115,000 raised last year.

And there's a push to break the £1m mark - total raised since the event began in 2003 - with a total of £150,000 needed this time round.

Head of fundraising at Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Funds, Eleanor Jones, said: "We are delighted to announce we have raised over £110,000 for the Oxford Children’s Hospital.

"Thank you to everyone who has helped us reach this fantastic amount and it’s still not too late to help us make this year our best ever to help our young patients and their families."

Unsurprisingly, the top fundraising team so far is Beth's Bees - a team of 60 runners dressed as bees - which has raised £5,700 for the hospital.

The swarm of bees were buzzing around Blenheim to thank staff for getting five-year-old Beth Lee back on her feet.

The youngster was born with a cleft palate, dislocated hips and breathing problems and doctors weren't sure she would ever walk properly.

But after support from the hospital the Bicester youngster took up ballet in 2015 and after a successful hip operation last year is now dancing freely.

Beth's mum Julia Spargo said she was overwhelmed by the support of the 60 bees that joined her on the course.

The 38-year-old added: "Next year we will be bringing 100.

"We are very, very touched and grateful not only to the people who joined us, but gave us sponsorship and said they would take part next year.

"Beth is doing really well, she is getting involved with PE with her peers and that is all we wanted for her.

"The total so far that has been raised is absolutely brilliant, everyone should be really proud of themselves."

The highest individual fundraiser was Angela Moulder, whose four-year-old son Alan - the event's poster boy - spent four months in hospital with Burkitt's Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.

The Banbury boy's cancer is now in remission, his hair is growing back and he's enjoying life at nursery.

Team Alan is third on the team leaderboard but Mrs Moulder tops the individual stakes having raised an incredible £2,400 on her own.

The 41-year-old said: "We are really pleased we were able to raise so much money.

"There is nothing we can really do to ever say thank you to the hospital, this is just our little way of giving back after they gave us so much."

All money from the race will go towards the hospital's 10th Anniversary Appeal, which aims to raise £2m towards a new 62-bedroom Ronald McDonald House facility for parents as well as vital equipment and play areas.

Go to hospitalcharity.co.uk/ox5run to donate.