Businesses across Essex are being urged to sign up and take part in a popular charity run in Chelmsford.

Havens Hospice will be in charge of this year’s Race4Business event and is hoping to raise cash for its specialist care.

The race will start in Chelmsford High Street and see teams/ businesses head through Admirals Park and Central Park.

The course is 3.5 miles long and organisers say the race is open to runners of all abilities.

Havens Hospice was forced to cancel last year’s Race4Business fundraiser due to the Covid pandemic.

It has been an annual fixture in the calendar for 22 years and helps raise money for Little Havens, The J’s and Fair Havens – which all form part of Havens Hospice.

One business which is taking part again this year is R.C Boreham & Co, an agricultural dealership based in Pleshey, Chelmsford.

R.C Boreham hopes to have around 20 people in their team including staff, family and friends.

Evie Malins, 11 from Chelmsford, is the daughter of a cousin to Anna Hunter, one of the business partners at the firm.

Evie’s grandparents, Uncle and Great-auntie also work at the firm as business partners.

Evie has been coming to Little Havens with her family for respite breaks since 2016.

Recently with the lockdown restrictions easing, Evie and her family have been able to visit and benefit from the facilities at the children’s hospice like the accessible garden equipment and the multi-sensory room.

Anna said: “Evie gets so much out of her trips to Little Havens - lockdown has been really tough so it’s been great for Evie, her brother, mum Sarah and Gaga (Grandma), to have been able to visit recently and make use of the hospice’s garden facilities.

“Evie loves the outdoors and at Little Havens she can access things like a wheelchair swing and bike – activities that you just don’t get at your local park. “It really is a special place that allows families to relax in a safe environment, leaving them to create those all-important memories.”

This year’s Race4Business takes place on September 15 and starts at 6.30pm.