The North Herts Road Runners have raised £5,000 for Garden House Hospice Care following the huge success of its lockdown ‘web-a-thon’.

The runners presented a cheque for £5,000 to the Letchworth-based hospice, as it faces an unprecendented funding shortfall caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The evening of entertainment and appeals raised £3,285 – smashing their £1,000 target – and an additional donation from club funds helped to round the final figure up to £5k.

More than 100 people logged on to enjoy an evening of singing, music, dancing and Caroline Thrussell’s hula-hoop challenge. A hotly-contested auction flogged cake-baking workshops, guided birdwatching walks – while local driving school Go Drive even offered 20 hours of driving lessons to the highest bidder.

Web-a-thon impresario Phil Hunt said: “I was blown away by the generosity of our members and friends who supported this event and donated to Garden House Hospice Care.

“We had a lot of fun putting it together, and I am absolutely delighted that we managed to raise so much for this vital local cause.”

Sue Plummer, CEO of Garden House Hospice Care, added: “We are so grateful to our very loyal supporters, and without groups like North Herts Road Runners getting behind us, our future faces a serious threat.

“We would like to thank everyone involved for supporting the hospice and helping ensure we can continue to provide palliative and end of life care to our community.”