STAFF at Amey in Oxford are getting a team together for this year’s OX5 Run – with bosses pledging to match any amount they raise for Oxford Children’s Hospital.

The company has 550 employees working in the city and in Sutton Courtenay, near Abingdon.

A team of runners from the firm’s base at Oxford Science Park heard about next month’s race from recruitment firm Allen Associates, which is sponsoring the five-mile run around the grounds of Blenheim Palace, Woodstock on Sunday, April 18.

Kerry Brandon, 24, who works in recruitment for Amey, said: “There are eight of us in the team so far and our initial target is £250.

“But it would be great if we could raise even more, because the firm has promised to match what we raise.

“We had an email about the race from Allen Associates and other staff have read about the OX5 Run in the Oxford Mail.

“Some of the staff here have children who have been treated at the hospital and they have been very pleased with the care they have received.

“It’s a fantastic cause and the race is a good team-building exercise.

“I have never run the OX5 Run before, so I need to start training – but I'm going to be quite busy because I'm getting married in two weeks’ time.”

Kate Allen, who runs Oxford-based Allen Associates, said: “It’s great to hear that staff at Amey are putting a team together for the OX5 Run.

“We want as many local businesses as possible to sign up for the race because that will really boost the number of people running on the day.”

Organisers are hoping 1,000 runners will take part in the race this year, and aim to raise an estimated £65,000.

Graham Brogden, a spokesman for the children’s hospital, said: “We now have 470 people signed up for the race, but the more corporate teams that enter the better, because that will help us to reach our target of 1,000 runners.

“The run is a good chance for firms to team-build as the country comes out of recession.

“It is also a good networking opportunity, with staff from different firms getting the chance to meet each other on the day of the race.”

Amey, which operates in strategic highways and rail, street lighting, education and waste, employs 11,000 people in the UK.