HUNDREDS of people braved the hot weather to have colourful powder paint thrown at them by willing volunteers at a Gwent park - all in aid of a children’s hospice charity.

The Rainbow Run at Bryn Bach Park, Tredegar, provided the perfect excuse for people of all ages to have fun and get a colourful makeover for a good cause.

The run is one of four taking place across south Wales this year to raise money for Ty Hafan.

Such events are becoming increasingly popular as a fun means of fundraising.

Participants were advised to don sunglasses and white t-shirts and running gear that they did not mind getting messy for the five-kilometre course.

Colour stations were placed at points around the course, where those taking part were showered with different coloured powder paints.

Each participant was asked to pay a £13 entry fee - £10 for a group entry - to cover the costs of organising the event, and to raise a minimum £50 in sponsorship, or make an equivalent donation to Ty Hafan when registering. Under-16s were asked to raise at least £20.

The Rainbow Runs have become an essential part of a huge annual fundraising programme that has the aim of keeping Ty Hafan going and providing support to children from across the region with life-limiting illnesses, and their families.

T? Hafan, based in Sully, has become one of the UK’s leading paediatric palliative care charities and it offers the only children’s hospice service in south Wales.

The charity uses the term life-limited to describe a child who is not expected to live beyond 18 years of age.

It has supported almost 600 children and their families since its facilities were opened in 1999.

The services that Ty Hafan provides are free, and every year it has to raise £4 million to be able to provide them - and that is where the public of south Wales comes in.

Ty Hafan’s vision is simple but ambitious - to ensure that every life-limited child and young person in Wales is able to live as full a family life as possible.

This means that parents and siblings also receive the support they need during difficult times, and that support extends beyond the hospice and into the community, provided by specialist staff, including children’s nurses, family support workers and play workers.

Ty Hafan also offers short break care for children and young people at the hospice so families can take time out from their caring duties.