Running club's charity 10k hit by trailer theft

A running group faces a bill of more than £1,500 to replace equipment which was inside a trailer stolen by thieves.

Barrow Running Club said hundreds of traffic cones, plastic stakes, signs, banners and high-vis jackets, which the group uses for its annual charity 10k run, will need to be replaced before next month's event.

Committee member Ian Paramore said the repurposed horse trailer "was more rust than paint" and had little to no value to anyone but Barrow Running Club.

Leicestershire Police said it is investigating the theft of the trailer from a field off Syston Road in Cossington between 4 and 6 April.

Barrow Running Club is hosting a charity 10k on Wednesday 20 May at Watermead Park, and the club said it cannot hold the event without replacing the stolen items, so it complies with England Athletics safety regulations.

Money raised by the event not only supports the club but also goes towards a charity partner.

Last year, the club donated about £1,400 to dementia charity Admiral Nurses and for 2026, the club will support Molly's Gift, a Leicestershire charity which helps young people into sport.

Paramore said: "Those are really key pieces of equipment for us.

"We've collected those over the years and without those we can't run an event.

"They've gone. It's not an awful lot of value to anybody but they're quite costly to replace.

"The trailer itself was so old. It would be of very little value for resale to anybody - there was more rust on it than there was paint.

"It's staggering, we're almost amazed they've actually towed it away, to be honest.

"When they've taken it away and they've opened it, they must have had a bit of a surprise to see just a load of stuff with Barrow Runners written all over.

"We're struggling to see what anyone could do with them."

Leicestershire Police said inquiries were ongoing and asked anyone with information to contact them.

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