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A BAFTA and Emmy award winning British Comedienne is set to fire the starting gun at this year’s Chariots of Fire charity relay race.

Jennifer Saunders, who created and starred in Absolutely Fabulous as well as Jam & Jerusalem and The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle, is lending her support to Cambridge-based Wallace Cancer Care, one of two charities set to receive a boost of funds from generous runners from the race in September.

Her support will mean a boost of funds for the charity inspired by former oncology nurse Mary Wallace. The free services provided by the charity aim to ease the suffering and distress of many cancer patients, their carers and families.  They provide a range of services including complementary therapies, counselling and self-help groups, information and advice or just the chance to sit quietly and have a reassuring chat and a cup of tea in one of their two drop-in centres.

Jennifer said: “I am very happy to be able to support Wallace Cancer Care. Having recently undergone treatment for breast cancer myself I understand how very important it is to have the kind of support and help that Wallace Cancer Care provides.”

Chariots of Fire is the region’s largest charity relay race and follows a scenic 1.7 mile route through the colleges and Backs of Cambridge, following in the footsteps of the famous film which documented the British team’s path to victory in the 1924 Olympic Games. This year, along with Wallace Cancer Care, HomeStart, Cambridge & District, will also benefit from the funds raised by runners and supporters on the day.

Home-Start, Cambridge & District, supports families who may be struggling to cope with a variety of issues including postnatal illness, multiple births, disability, family breakdown or bereavement; they may feel isolated and unable to connect with their local community.

Race director, Charles Hewitson, said: “It’s a fantastic boost for the race to have Jennifer as this year’s starter and we are very grateful to her for giving up her time. It will help us achieve our goal of raising a lot of money for these two worthy charities. We are expecting plenty of spectators to come along and cheer on the teams this year, both on Queens’ Green and along the historic race route through the city centre and Kings, Clare and Trinity Colleges.”

The race will take place from 9.30am on Sunday 19 September from Queens’ Green, Cambridge. For further information or to enter a team into the event, visit www.chariots-of-fire.co.uk or contact Alison Hickford on 01223 461155.

With plenty of prizes on offer at this year’s Chariots of Fire charity relay race, runners will have a great incentive to battle it out for the top spots in a variety of categories.

Based on the famous film that celebrated the exploits of the 1924 British Olympic team, the event recreates the running course through Cambridge and now involves two and a half thousand runners.

From all male, all female and mixed, to college and veteran team categories, there is no shortage of options for runners to choose from. This year sees the advent of a new category, with the veterans teams now split into veteran mixed as well as male and female categories.

The fastest team in each category will receive a trophy to hold onto for the entire year, with their team name and race timing printed in the paper and event website the day after the event and possibly even their photograph!

Charles Hewitson, Race Director and Senior Partner at Hewitsons, said, “As Chariots has grown into such an iconic event in the local community, it is a real honour for teams to be named the winner of a category. Many runners attach a real sense of achievement to giving the race their best shot in an attempt to win, especially for the overall fastest team who will receive the coveted Sir Arthur Marshall trophy.”

“There is also a fun side to the event, as the team who provides the most laughter and entertainment for the crowds on the day is awarded the People’s Cup. Last year this was awarded to the team from John Lewis who managed to balance a glass of pink champagne on a tray as they ran!”

This year runners are raising money for two local and worthwhile charities – Home-Start, Cambridge & District and Wallace Cancer Care. The race follows in the footsteps of the famous film, taking a 1.7 mile route around the town, along The Backs and through some of the City’s most beautiful Colleges.

The race is sponsored by leading local law firm Hewitsons and is supported by the Cambridge News.

The race takes place this year on Sunday 19 September, starting from Queens’ Green in Cambridge. To enter teams into the race, visit www.chariots-of-fire.co.uk to register online. For further information contact Alison Hickford at admin@chariots-of-fire.co.uk or call 01223 461155.