FAMILIES, groups of friends and work colleagues are being encouraged to sign up for a charity event that aims to raise thousands of pounds for charity while getting the borough's residents active.

FAMILIES, groups of friends and work colleagues are being encouraged to sign up for a charity event that aims to raise thousands of pounds for charity while getting

the borough's residents active.

Organised by Palliative Care East and BWell Health Club, the Embrace event will combine sport, music and comedy. Organisers hope to attract thousands of people to Great Yarmouth Racecourse on Sunday, August 9.

The event is geared to the whole family and will include a variety of activities, including a three-mile fun run, as well as displays and demonstrations by groups such as the Charisma Twirling Display Team and the Phoenix Karate Schools.

The fun run, open to everyone, will start at 10.30am, with the festival starting an hour later. The course is accessible to disabled people, and participants will have the chance to take part in a group warm-up given by a BWell instruc-tor, with the run starting at 11am.

For the first time, BWell is setting up its first outdoor gym with bikes, steppers, rowers and free weights, all available for �1 a go, with all money going towards Palliative Care East.

And the Elite Strength and Conditioning Centre, based in Norwich, pledged its support for the event this week.

Simon Edwards from the centre will attend with his team to demon-strate Olympic lifting, aimed at people aged 13 and upwards.

The Red Card Comedy Club will round off the day's events at Embrace, which is being sponsored by Asda. Students from Yarmouth College, who act as patrons for the

appeal, designed the logo - shown below - for the event.

Registration packs will be available from March 1, and details of how to enter will be released nearer the time.

Palliative care supports patients whose lives are affected by incurable illnesses such as cancer or motor neurone disease. The charity aims to build a �1.5m purpose-built centre in the grounds of the James Paget University Hospital to serve patients from

the Yarmouth and Waveney

area.

So far the appeal has raised more than �800,000, and it is hoped building work could start in 2010.

Embrace organisers are seeking volunteers and clubs to get involved in the event. Contact

Mr McCormack on 01493 452095: email gorleston@body

wellness.co.uk. Alternatively contact Jenny Westgate on 01493 453348; email Jenny.Westgate

@jpaget.nhs.uk