OXFORD United manager Jim Smith got 800 runners on their way at Blenheim Palace yesterday to raise money for Oxfordshire hospices.

Mr Smith, who lives in Woodstock, where Blenheim Palace is situated, started the run at 10.30am.

Runners in the Woodstock Rotary 10km Run were raising money for Sobell House in Headington, Helen and Douglas House in Oxford, and Katharine House near Banbury.

Last year, the run raised more than £6,000. Organisers hope this year's event will beat that total.

Fundraiser Rob Panting, who took part in the Football Mascot Grand National in 2003, as Oxford United's Olly the Ox, said: "The Rotary 10km is a fantastic opportunity to raise money for the three Oxfordshire hospices, but it also gives us a chance to raise the awareness of palliative care to a wider audience."