THERE are now five trophies up for grabs for people taking part in the OX5 Run in aid of Oxford Children’s Hospital.

In a bid to get more companies to enter teams, Allen Associates, the Oxfordshire recruitment consultants sponsoring the race, has created the new Corporate Cup.

It will be an additional trophy alongside the OX5 Cup, which is awarded to the team with the fastest aggregate time of its top five finishers.

Cup number three will be a Community Cup for teams of friends and families running the five-mile race on Sunday, April 18, around Blenheim Palace in Woodstock.

And there will be two individual trophies for the first male and female runners.

Chris Ledger, 48, of Allsports Trophies in Sugworth Lane, Radley, said he was happy to donate the four new trophies, which cost about £1,000 in total.

The father-of-two said: “I really hope the new trophies will encourage more people to take part in the run, which is an excellent charity event, this year.

“Allsports is owned by my father Ray and dates back 40 years and we try to support local causes, including Oxford United’s Football in the Community scheme.”

Organisers are hoping more than 1,000 runners enter the race, which is backed by the Oxford Mail and is expected to raise £65,000 for the Oxford Children’s Hospital.

The Corporate Cup will be awarded to the business that demonstrates enthusiasm and team spirit, raises lots of money for the hospital, involves the whole company, including employees, customers and suppliers in fundraising, and puts in the best overall corporate team effort on the day.

Kate Allen, managing director of Allen Associates, said: “We all felt the new cups were a great way of galvanising the Oxfordshire community into taking part.”

affrench@oxfordmail.co.uk