The sun is shining, the birds are singing and congestion in Oxford city centre is as bad as ever.

So why not ditch the car, put on the pumps and get in training for next month's Town and Gown run?

This will be the 26th annual 10km race through the picturesque college-flanked streets of Oxford to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

So far the event has raised £550,000 for the charity, which goes solely to funding a centre of excellence for Muscular Dystrophy at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

Last year more than 3,000 people took to the streets of Oxford on a rainy day in May boosting the charity's coffers by £60,000.

The race has always attracted a lot of fun runners and celebrities - including racing driver Eddie Jordan and Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson - but it is also ranked in the top 10 nationally for 10km road races by the UK Athletics Association.

And with a £200 first place prize for both men and women the event attracts a high calibre of top athletes.

Muscular Dystrophy Campaign Regional Fundraising Manager Anne Jackson said: "The event is not discriminatory at all. It's a great thing to do for serious athletes and fun runners, for able-bodied and disabled people.

"The Town and Gown has become a bit of a Mecca for people who are in wheelchairs because the course is very flat.

"You have only got to look at the amount of heart diseases and other diseases in this country to realise that we are not the fittest people in the world and taking part in the Town and Gown is a great way to change that.

"It is still more than a month away and if people just did a little bit every day they will easily be able to get round, even if they have to walk a bit, it doesn't matter."

An estimated 30,000 people have been diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy in the UK although it is thought that more could unknowingly have the condition having been wrongly diagnosed many years ago when less was known about the condition.

Muscular Dystrophy conditions turn human cells faulty and cause muscles to waste away.

In the majority of cases it is genetic, but about 40 per cent of new cases have not been diagnosed in the family before.

It does not discriminate between children or adults and at present there is no cure or treatment for the condition.

The event takes place on Sunday, May 20 at 10am, with the Junior Race - for young people beetween the ages of 11 and 14 starting at 9.30am.

Entries cost £13 for unaffiliated UK AA runners, £11 for UK AA members and £2 for young athletes. Closing date for entries is May 3 and all entries should be returned to the Race Secretary, Town and Gown, PO Box No.364, Witney, Oxon. OX29 8WX.

Are you taking part in this year's event and have got an interesting tale to tell? Then call the Oxford Mail on 01865 425498 so we can inspire others to take part.