Runners from across the region took on an extremely muddy five-mile fun-run on the 30th anniversary of the record-breaking Children's Cancer Run this year.

The run, which is sponsored by Greggs, took place at Gosforth Park in Newcastle on Sunday 13th May with approximately 9,000 runners braving a water-logged course to raise funds for North of England Children's Cancer Research (NECCR).

30 years after starting the first run in 1982, former regional weather girl Wincey Willis returned to the region to sound the starting klaxon and thankfully, she brought the sunshine with her.

A colourful mix of runners of all ages took part from seasoned athletes to fancy dress fun runners who completed the five miles with friends, family and colleagues alike.

The run was set up in 1982 to raise money specifically for North of England Children's Cancer Research (NECCR). NECCR us a research facility which is based in Newcastle and is the biggest of it's kind (dedicated solely to the research into the causes and treatments of children's cancers) outside of the USA.

The work they do is astonishing. Over the past 30 years the research carried out there has revolutionized the way in which children diagnosed with cancer are treated.

This blog is just one example of the remarkable work they do: http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2011/12/15/expert-opinion-dr-gareth-veal-getting-chemo-right-for-kids/

To put it in a brilliantly concise soundbite; 30 years ago 80% of children in the North of England who were diagnosed with cancer would die, now, thanks to the work carried out by NECCR, 80% will live.

Six years ago Silver Bullet Marketing agreed to manage the run's PR and Marketing activities free of charge, over the years we've taken great pride in raising regional and national awareness of the run and those who take part so that NECCR continue to receive the vital support that helps them to continue to save thousands of lives.

The publicity campaign for the Children's Cancer Run includes multiple press release placements over several publications both throughout the North East and indeed nationally, as well as local TV and Radio spots.

This year the added influence of online platforms was hugely influential on the run's reach. The social networks, including Facebook, Twitter and individual blogs, have become increasingly popular and allow people to keep up with the run's developments on a real time basis and in an informal and interactive environment.

From the publicity achieved throughout the five-month period from January to May 2012, we have calculated that when compared to the standard rates of advertising through the different mediums - namely, print, TV and radio - the publicity achieved in the 2012 Greggs Children's Cancer Run campaign was equivalent to £57,826.61.

However, when we use the more appropriate PR model to work out how much the publicity would actually have cost, which accounts for the number of impressions the publicity makes and the estimated reach of the campaign, the publicity was equivalent to £144,566.52.

Account Manager at Silver Bullet, Kerry Tudor commented, "We're over the moon about the volume of press the run received this year. The local media are so supportive of charities in the region and the fact that this was the run's 30th anniversary gave us a great angle to promote more about the event and the NECCR than ever before."

"We've had great support from our friends at NCJ Media and across several alternative media too. I was hugely impressed by the increased reach to potential runners and supporters due to the social media networks and the number of people who got really interactive within them, helping us to spread the word about the run."

Chairman of the Children's Cancer Run, Chris Peacock said, "I can't thank Silver Bullet enough; the publicity, as always was excellent and the support from the agency this year has been fantastic and it ensured that numbers remained high in a difficult economy."

You can find out more about the Children's Cancer run here: http://www.childrenscancerrun.co.uk/default.awe