A TEAM of women from Oxford company Amey are bringing their trainers to work to get fit for this year’s OX5 Run.

The five-mile race around the park at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, takes place on Sunday, March 25, and the team from Amey is pounding the streets to prepare.

The public services and infrastructure firm, which has its head office at Oxford Science Park, is a client of Oxford recruitment firm Allen Associates, which is sponsoring the charity run in aid of Oxford Children’s Hospital.

Allen Associates is encouraging more business teams than ever before to enter, with the aim of reaching a £100,000 fundraising target in the 10th anniversary race.

Kathryn Richardson, 24, a marketing officer at Amey, has persuaded four female colleagues to join her team.

So far Miss Richardson, from Greater Leys, has not been able to persuade her partner Luis Page, 25, who also works at Amey, to join the weekly running club she has set up. She said: “We have set ourselves a target of achieving £500 in sponsorship, which we are hoping to double to £1,000 through a match-funding scheme Amey operates.

“Although none of us have children yet, a lot of our colleagues do and we hope that the money we raise can go towards providing care and support for families in Oxfordshire and across the region.

“We’re getting fit and it’s good for team-building too.”

Running with Miss Richardson are Lucy Wagstaff, 23, a marketing executive from Ducklington, PA Julia Maloney, 27, from Oxford, Amy Carter, 24, a human resources adviser from Oxford, and Lottie Tucker, 25, PA to the executive team, also from Oxford.

Kate Allen, managing director of Allen Associates, said: “We’re hoping lots of our clients and candidates will join us. It’s a great chance to get fit, do something fun as a team and make a huge contribution to such a valuable community service.”

Hospital spokesman Sarah Vaccari said: “When corporate teams get involved it really bumps the numbers up, and that affects the amount of money we can raise.

“We really appreciate the support we get from firms throughout Oxfordshire.”

Last year, runners raised an estimated £60,000 for extra equipment at the hospital.

For information about the race and how to enter, visit ox5run.co.uk or fill in the form on this page