A MASSIVE £35,000 has been raised so far through the Newport half marathon with more funds still coming in.

An e-mail sent out by staff at St David’s Hospice Care to people who were involved in the event, including runners, said the huge sum had been reached with more sponsorship money still being sent in.

The Argus reported how the event on March 3, which was a first for the city, was hailed an "outstanding success" after 1,000 people defied the early morning cold to take on the 13.1mile challenge raising money for a range of charities.

The e-mail reads: "The participants, supporters, marshals, sponsors - everyone helped to make the event a huge success and we sincerely thank everyone."

It adds: "£35,000 and still counting. This is tremendous and will ensure local families going through the most traumatic times have the support that they need, when and where they need it most."

The St David's Hospice Care-organised event attracted entries from across South Wales and into the west of England, with the course taking runners from Newport's International Sports Village and back via the city's riverfront path and the cycleway to Caerleon.

On the day of the event, director of fundraising and lottery with St David's Hospice Care, Kris Broome said: ""We've had absolutely brilliant support from the business community and our partners, local running clubs, volunteers and marshalls. It's the first City of Newport Half Marathon and it's been an outstanding success."

Entries for the event this year, which was started by Olympic 4x100 metres gold medallist and event partner Darren Campbell, were capped at 1,000, but it is hoped this will be increased in the future.