MALVERN mayor Cynthia Palmer was joined by friends who support the charity Sight Concern when she took part in the Worcester City Run.

The group were among thousands who took part in the event, which boasted a half-marathon, a junior run and a 10k run.

And while they were competing the course, they had the good fortune to meet Olympic medallist Steve Cram, one of the world's dominant middle distance runners during the 1980s, who was the first man to run 1500m in under three minutes 30 seconds.

"We weren't trying to beat him. In fact, we actually walked the 10k course as I was leading a friend of mine who has sight problems," said Cllr Palmer, who is herself losing her eyesight.

"It was an absolutely great day, and we loved every minute of it. The event was so well organised, the stewards were so helpful and everybody was so friendly."