TWO Widnes colleges have joined together for their annual fundraiser and raised more than £5,000 for charity.

Riverside College and Cronton Sixth Form College came together for their College Race for Life event at Victoria Park in Widnes to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Before the race, staff and students were joined by a procession of performing arts students from the Centre of Excellence in Performing Arts at Cronton.

They wore fancy dress outfits and collected donations for the charity on their way to the park.

The race was then started by Widnes Vikings superstars Jack Owens and Danny Craven alongside councillor Eddie Jones.

Level 3 Business student Antony Wilcock crossed the line first, closely followed by assistant principal of Cronton Ben Barton.

Once the race had finished, the excitement didn't stop as the participants headed back to Riverside College to be presented with medals by special guests, including the mayor of Halton councillor Christopher Rowe, Widnes Vikings Player Matty Fozard and Chris Doyle, relationship manager at Cancer Research UK.

Afterwards, everyone was treated to a hard-earned BBQ.

So far the two colleges have raised £5,200 with donations still coming in.

In five years, this means they have raised more than £25k for the charity.

To end the day, the Mersey Gateway Bridge was lit up pink to celebrate the event.

This incredible show of support was arranged by Halton Councillor Andrea Wall, Halton Borough Council Leader Mike Wharton and Halton MP Derek Twigg.

Event Organisers Helen Maddison and Donna Elston said, "In 2016, we started a journey to save and improve the lives of those battling cancer.

“This year we set our target as £5,000, and I am very pleased to say that we have already exceeded this target.

“The event could not take place without the support of staff and students at the College who work hard to make the event bigger and better every year!"

If you would like to make a donation and show your support, you can do so via the College Race for Life JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/raceforlife2022