HUNDREDS of people are preparing to take part in a gruelling 5k trail run through Peterlee’s Castle Eden Dene next week.

The event starting at the Pavillion at 7pm on Wednesday, is part of the Run East Durham project, hosted by charity East Durham Trust in an attempt to increase levels of physical activity in the area.

The project is funded by County Durham Community Foundation and many of the runners have been working up to the 5k challenge with training sessions held in communities across East Durham.

Although the event is being supported by Run Peterlee, the majority of participants will be taking part in an organised run for their first time.

East Durham Trust chief executive Malcolm Fallow said: “This event is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people who are simply looking to improve their fitness. There are some great stories of people becoming active for the first time in years.”

Margaret Vaughan of County Durham Community Foundation added: “We were able to support this project through our Healthy Communities project which we administer on behalf of Durham County Council.

It has been great to see so many people increasing their levels of physical activity.