GET BIDDING TO WALK IN THE SHOES OF A CELEB

Emma Bunton, Jessica Ennis, Joe Hart, Fatboy Slim, Joe Calzaghe and Dame Kelly Holmes are among a host of sporting and entertainment heroes whose trainers are now available to bid for on an eBay auction as part of the ‘Great Trainer Donation’, a campaign raising funds for Mary’s Meals, the official charity of the Tesco Great School Run.

The race is on to grab Jessica Ennis and Dame Kelly Holmes’ trainers, or if you’d rather take centre stage why not bid on Emma Bunton or Fatboy Slim’s shoes? You can bid on the trainers by visiting the auction page of www.greatschoolrun.org/GreatTrainerDonation/. The auction is live from Monday 2^nd July to Wednesday 11^th July 2012.

Proceeds from the auction will go straight to Mary’s Meals (a global movement), which sets up school feeding projects in some of the world's poorest communities, feeding more than 600,000 hungry children in places of education every single school day. For as little as £10.70, Mary’s Meals can feed a child for an entire school year and the charity now helps children in 16 different countries around the world. By providing one daily meal in a place of learning, chronically poor children are attracted to the classroom where they can gain an education that can, in the future, become their ladder out of poverty.

Former Olympian and Tesco Great School Run ambassador, Colin Jackson, commented: “I’m thrilled to donate my trainers to this great cause which is raising awareness of the fantastic work Mary’s Meals does for some of the world’s poorest children. I hope someone’s brave enough to bid on my trainers – even if they go for a tenner, it will mean being able to feed a child for one whole year. If donating my trainers helps inspire kids in the UK to get active too, then even better!”

Children taking part in this year’s Tesco Great School Run have been petitioning their favourite celebrities to donate their trainers and help raise even more money for Mary’s Meals. The charity will also benefit from sponsorship that the children raise by running in the 2 kilometre event.

The Tesco Great School Run is the world’s largest mass participation event for children, encouraging 5 – 11 year olds and their families in the UK to get fit through healthy eating and exercise, by taking part in a two-kilometre (1.2miles) fun run. Last year, more than 1.2m children took part across 4,500 schools.

Abeer Macintyre, Head of Supporter Care at Mary’s Meals, said: “An education can have a life-changing effect on children and their communities, by providing an escape route out of abject poverty.

“With this in mind, we are delighted to be the official charity of this year’s Tesco Great School Run and to be benefitting from the Great Trainer Donation is a wonderful bonus. Since it costs just pennies for us to provide one meal to a child, any amount raised can go a long way to making a big difference.”

Ruth Girardet, Tesco Corporate Responsibility and Community Director, said: “Now in its eighth year, the Tesco Great School Run programme aims to educate and encourage healthy lifestyle choices for school children. This year we’re delighted to have Mary’s Meals as our official charity and are very grateful for the support of the children and celebrities who have been fundraising to help the charity carry on with their incredible work.”

           

For the full list of celebrities, more information on The Great Trainer Donation and how you can bid on the eBay auction, visit www.greatschoolrun.org/GreatTrainerDonation/.