THE city of Durham was turned into a trail of pink as fundraisers donned their running shoes in aid of a cancer charity.

About 1,100 men, women and children tackled the 5k course round the Aykley Heads estate, near County Hall, Durham, in the city’s version of the Race for Life on Sunday.

The guest of honor was Lynne McGuigan, 59, of Leadgate, who has taken part every year since her diagnosis six years ago.

Lynne, who rang the bell to start the event, was joined by friends and family who have formed a fundraising group called Boobilicious and who have raised nearly £7k for the charity.

Jaelithe Leigh-Brown, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for the North East, said: “We’re very grateful to Lynne and Boobilicious for their amazing support.

"Their efforts show how much people can achieve by coming together to raise funds and we’re delighted that she was there to ring the bell for Durham – she’s an inspiration."

She added: "It was an emotional, but uplifting day. Everyone put their backsigns on display at the end of the event, to show who they had taken part for.

"We'd like to thank everyone who took part, including lots of Tesco staff from Durham.

"Men, women and children from the city came together, united to help us beat cancer sooner."

First finisher was Florent Michel, who ran in memory of his grandfather who died of cancer, while second across the tape at St Leonard's Sport's Field was Majid Alsadoon who ran in support of this friend Marc Hallin – being treated for the disease. In third place was 14-year-old Oliver Utley. The event raised an estimated £42,000 for Cancer Research UK.