SCORES of fitness fanatics took to Whitby Park, Ellesmere Port on Christmas morning for a special Parkrun event.

A total of 81 runners took part in the 5km event, which is usually held each Saturday at 9am.

Ostensibly a fun run, many dressed for the festivities as run director Tracey Sadler gave the shout for the event to get under way.

The oldest runner was 83-year-old Peter Edwards from Greasby, who said wryly: "I really ought to have more sense than do this sort of thing."

The youngest runner, five-year-old Asa Court-Williams, ran with his mum.

Tracey explained: "Parkrun is a worldwide event run over 5km (3.1 miles). There are three Run Directors in Ellesmere Port and a core of volunteers, led by Karen Kavanagh, who set up the course and record the results with bar codes and a scanner."

Parkrun in Ellesmere Port started in October 2014 and has an average of 70 runners. For more information, visit www.parkrun.org.uk/ellesmereport.