Red pant revival for Red Pant Mile around Tiverton

TIVERTON is bracing itself for a red pant revival as charity fundraisers get ready to hunt out their crimson-coloured underwear at the back of the wardrobe.

Two years ago, local signwriting firm Ken White Signs held the Red Pant Mile, a one-mile mass participation jog around the town completed by people wearing just red pants, all to raise money for Comic Relief.

Next month, the event is back and organisers are hoping to increase the number of runners from last time and exceed the £3,500 raised in 2009.

The outlandish event was the brainchild of Ken White’s director Ben White, who said: “It was a great event for the town with around 100 people taking part last time, which was around double the number we ever expected.”

This year’s Red Pant Mile will take place at around 5-5.30pm on Friday, March 18.

Ben said he had already started to open up this event through social networking site Facebook and had received some interest from new people keen to join in the fun for the first time.

Ben said: “This is very much a family event. People can dress in different ways, they can wear anything on their head, such as hats, wigs or red noses as long as they are sporting red pants too.

“Last time we had some adapted costumes, such as someone wearing red braces and one team of three people all fitting into the same pair of oversized red pants.”

He said the charity event was open to people of all ages, and he hoped many different groups would get involved whether they were entire families, a team of work colleagues or sports teams.

Two years ago, runners set off from the Pannier Market and headed out into the town centre on Fore Street, covering a one mile loop of the town to finish back in the centre of town at Phoenix Lane.

This year’s route is likely to follow a similar route, but runners will be hoping the weather will have warmed up by next month following one of the coldest winters on record.

Comic Relief is held every two years and raises funds for disadvantaged people in the UK and abroad.

For an entry or sponsorship form please contact Ken White on 01884 253795 or visit the firm’s website at www.kenwhitesigns.co.uk for pictures of the last event.