STAFF and volunteers at a hospice pelted each other with packets of colourful powder paint as they helped launch a major new fundraising event.

St Cuthbert’s Hospice in Durham has announced plans for a “colour run” to take place in the city this summer which it is hoped will raise up to £50,000.

The event, which takes place on June 6, will consist of a five-kilometre walk around Aykley Heads at which fund raisers wearing white St Cuthbert T-shirts will be covered with non-toxic, washable powder as they make their way around the course.

The daytime event is set to replace the highly successful Midnight Walk, a women-only event which ran for eight years and raised about £480,000 for the hospice.

Paul Marriott, chief executive of St Cuthbert’s, said it was hoped the event would attract more people than the Midnight Walk.

He said: “We wanted to open up the event to as many people as possible – women, men and children.

“The Midnight Walk started in the middle of the night, so it was difficult for families to attend. We’re hoping the colour run will give people the chance to get even more involved.

“People tend to have a very gloomy view of the hospice, but it’s actually a very vibrant place. That’s what we’re trying to get across to people with the colour run.”

The event, which is expected to attract hundreds of people, will be the hospice's main annual summer fundraiser and will feature live music, market stalls and funfair amusements for children.

The hospice, which recently became the first adult hospice in the country to be given an “outstanding” rating by the Care Quality Commission, needs to raise £1.3m every year to provide its patients with high quality care.

Mr Marriott said he hopes the new event will raise about £50,000 towards the total.

The hospice hopes supporters will come up with a name for the event.

Hannah Bunce, from the hospice, said: “We’re really excited about this event and we’re already getting some great ideas on what we should call it.

“This will be our biggest summer event and we need it to have just the right name. The hospice is trying to reach out to the community and this is a great way of giving people a great day out and at the same time raising vital funds.”

Members of the public are invited to submit name suggestions for the event to the hospice’s Facebook page, or by email at hannah.bunce@stcuthbertshospice.com by 9am on January 30.