THOUSANDS of women and children got pretty muddy on York's Knavesmire today to raise money for the fight against cancer.

About 600 youngsters took part in the Race for Life Pretty Muddy kids event along an obstacle course, featuring scramble nets and a space hopper dash before finishing with a slither down an inflatable slide and then a dunking in glorious mud.

About 3,400 women, all wearing pink, then took on the York Pretty Muddy 5K event along the same course.

The children's challenge featured scramble nets, a space hopper dash and muddy pools for youngsters to clamber through.

The events will be followed tomorrow by the Race for Life 5k and 10K races, also on Knavesmire, with the weekend as a whole expected to raise more than £200,000 for Cancer Research UK.