Mayor ready to lace up running shoes

West Midlands mayor Andy Street will be lacing up his running shoes to raise funds for Cure Leukaemia at the Great Birmingham Run.

Mr Street is heading up a team of 20 runners from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) for the event in May.

More than 10,000 runners will be on the start line of two of the Midlands ' most popular running events, the Great Birmingham Run and Birmingham 10k.

And Mr Street (pictured) is appealing for other West Midlands-based organisations to join him and his colleagues.

He will also be hoping his team can come out on top in the Business Challenge, which sees prizes awarded to the top three teams in each category (male, female and mixed team).

The WMCA team are taking on the run to raise vital funds and awareness for national blood cancer charity Cure Leukaemia, which supports research nurses within a network of 12 blood cancer centres across the United Kingdom, which form the Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP).

The TAP network, which is run and co-ordinated by its hub situated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, allows the rapid assessment of highly promising and pioneering new treatments for blood cancer through clinical trials.

These clinical trials can only run and give patients potentially life-saving options thanks to the positions Cure Leukaemia are funding at these centres.

Mr Street said: “I am really pleased to be supporting Cure Leukaemia at the upcoming Great Birmingham Run this summer. The pioneering work Cure Leukaemia does, led by Birmingham-based Professor Charlie Craddock CBE, is not only benefiting patients across our great region but also right across the country.

"In what is sure to be a mega year of sport here in the West Midlands, I would encourage our local businesses to join me on the start line and help raise funds for this fantastic charity engaging in lifesaving work on our very doorstep. ”

James McLaughlin, chief executive of Cure Leukaemia, said “We are thrilled and very proud that Andy Street has once again chosen to run the Great Birmingham Run on behalf of Cure Leukaemia.

“He has been a great supporter of our charity and the work that we do, so it is great to hear that he will be supporting us once more! ”

“In such a special sporting year for the region, we would love to see more businesses wearing our Cure Leukaemia colours for the event in our home city. If you think you can beat Andy and the WMCA, now is your chance to prove it! ”