A Cheltenham woman who has been heartbroken by the situation in Ukraine is organising a virtual running event to raise money for the people of the war-torn country.

CharlotteTownsend, aged 23, who works as a business analyst apprentice at salesforce consultancy Coacto in Cheltenham, made a number of Ukrainian friends during her time working on cruise ships.

She made one particularly close friend whose family is still in Ukraine.

Charlotte said: "Hearing my friend's family couldn't even escape the war was heart-breaking and there were so many civilians stuck there. For when they finally can escape, I wanted to make sure the people of Ukraine would be looked after and have the love and support they needed.

"Seeing her messages made it so clear to me how important community was, especially during this unprecedented time. I wanted to make a difference and help raise funds for Ukraine. My goal is to raise a total of £10,000 as a Gloucestershire community through my 'Run with Ukraine' campaign."

The run will take place over a three-week period between Monday 11th April and Monday 2nd May with the money raised going to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Emergency Appeal.

"Whether you run, walk, jog or cycle, your participation will be appreciated by the many families suffering from the damaging effects of war and will help the Disasters Emergency Committee to continue providing their effective support," added Charlotte.

To complete the virtual running event, participants simply need to buy a ticket from the EventBrite  page, record this on a running app of their choice and post it in the Facebook group . They will then receive a certificate to thank them for helping this cause and will automatically be entered in a draw for a prize from Dominos.

Participants can buy tickets for the following tier packages shown below:

• £5 donation to participate in a 5k run
• £10 donation to participate in a 10k run
• £20 donation for a 21k (half marathon) run

There is also an option to just donate for those who do not want to run.

Charlotte added: "To help us spread the word and make as much of an impact as possible, please share the link on your social channels and tell anyone who you think would like to support!

"My question is this - who can help me make a difference to raise £10,000 in the Gloucestershire community?"

For more information, click here