The Duke of Marlborough will be getting this year's OX5Run off to a flying start.

As well as allowing the five-mile run to take place in the grounds of his Blenheim Palace home, the Duke will also fire the starting pistol.

The event, on Sunday, March 7, is being organised by the Oxford Mail and its sister paper The Oxford Times to raise money for the Oxford Children's Hospital Campaign.

It is hoped that through entry fees and sponsorship, the Ox5Run will raise even more than the £15,000 collected by nearly 700 athletes and fun-runners in the inaugural event last year.

NHS managers need £15m to build the dedicated children's hospital at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington by December 2005.

Meanwhile, staff from a department store are taking a teddy on a grand tour of the city to raise money for the campaign.

Two Debenhams workers will also carry mini versions of the company's mascot, Toby the Teddy Bear, as they take part in the OX5Run.

Angie Wiseman, finance team leader at Debenhams in Magdalen Street, and homes sales manager Rob Mannix have spent this week taking a 3ft bear Toby around as many well-known Oxford sites as possible.

They visited the Oxford Mail offices in Osney Mead and FOX FM yesterday, and plan to take it to Oxford University and Oxford United's Kassam Stadium today (February 11).

The trek is part of a national campaign to promote the store's community partnership init- iative.

Mrs Wiseman, 39, of Marston, Oxford, said: "We've got two Toby teddies doing the rounds of Debenhams across the country and we decided once it arrived in Oxford we would use it to raise funds for charity. We chose the children's hospital because it's such a worthwhile project."

Mrs Wiseman and Mr Mannix, 23, of Headington, Oxford, have also organised a cake sale and raffle for staff on Friday.

Click here for more information on how to join in the run.