A TEAM of young soccer players swapped football boots for running shoes on Sunday to raise money for the Katharine House Hospice.

Banbury Wanderers, the under-ten side who are top of the Witney and District Boys B League, took part in the Banbury Under-14 Fun Run and raised more than £250 for the Adderbury-based charity.

The Wanderers' full squad turned out in Spiceball Park to complete a one-mile course.

The team had recently voted Katharine House as their nominated charity, and this was their first money-raising event.

Club chairman Peter Meadows said: "It is the first of many fundraising projects. Katharine House is the club's charity - not just for a year, but for the foreseeable future. We hope to raise thousands of pounds for the hospice in the years to come."

The event was a supporting race on the annual 15-mile Banbury Run programme, which also included the Paul Bithell two-mile fun run, and a dog race.

Paul Bithell was a former Banbury journalist who died aged 44 on Christmas Eve 2002 after a three-year battle with cancer.

The winner of the 15-miler was Nicholas McGuinness, of the North East Runners, in a time of 1hr 22.49min - which equalled the course record. Second, nearly two minutes adrift, was Julien L'Homme, of Headington RR, and third, seven seconds later was Dominic Croft, of Woodstock Harriers.

The first Banbury Harrier to finish was Simon Pritchard in 12th place.

The two-mile event was won by Tim Wright, of Banbury Harriers, whose time of 10min 51sec was a course record, and 12-year-old Banbury Harrier Scott Morgan was first home in the one-mile race.

Event organiser Geoff Smith said: "The 15-mile race had 401 runners."