THE 11th running of The Castle Howard Trail races will be staged on Sunday with entries still being taken.

Runners of all levels and ages are invited to take part in the 10k and 6k contests, which cover fantastic routes around the grounds of one of Yorkshire’s finest historic homes.

Children’s races will also again be held over 2k and 1k.

The event is the main fundraiser every year for Welburn County Primary School and is organised by volunteer parents with support from Pickering Running Club.

All proceeds help to pay for extra classroom equipment and subsidise excursions, with Richard Hudson, one of the race organisers, saying: “Over the years, the race has raised more than £30,000 for the school and, at a time when school budgets are under genuine pressure, these funds are more critical now than ever before.”

The school is just a stone’s throw from Castle Howard and the race route offers a variety of terrain before crossing an 18th Century bridge and climbing to the Temple of Four Winds.

Race director Jonathan Ward added: “It’s fantastic to have an event that appeals to runners of all levels and ages, from club runners to those taking part in their first organised run and to be supporting a worthy, local cause in the process. We’re sure that those who are new to the event will be impressed with the stunning location of Castle Howard and we look forward to welcoming back those that have been before to an even bigger and better event in 2018.

“Once again, we’re extremely grateful to Castle Howard for their continuing support in allowing us to raise such valuable funds for the school. “

Anybody interested in taking part can enter online at www.castlehowardtrailrace.org.uk

Regular updates can also bee seen on the Twitter handle @castlehoward10k and on Facebook.