By Susan Wardle
Otford Public School and 1st Helensburgh Scouts are partnering to present the Rainbow Run at Rex Jackson Oval, Helensburgh on Sunday, September 22.
The event is a fun run in which runners have colour powder thrown at them at different points on the course.
The event was a hit with the local community in the three years before Covid, and this year it’s back with new tracks and activities.
Dean Hunter, from the event organising committee, said this year the course will look a little different.
“This year we’re running a simple 1.5km loop around the ovals. The first race of the day will kick off at 9am and be a 3km run for adults and kids who want to challenge themselves. We’ll follow this with a 1.5km single loop at 9.30am and then a 400m loop for the families with little kids at 10am.”
“We’re going to finish the day with some novelty races which are entry by gold coin donation – so there’s something to fit every budget.”
The event will also feature a BBQ with bacon and egg rolls and sausage sandwiches, a cake stall and a camping display from the Scouts. There’s lots of reasons to hang around after the Rainbow Run, with Cricket NSW and Helensburgh Cricket Club rolling out some free coaching for kids from 11am.
The initiative to bring Otford Public School and 1st Helensburgh Scouts together grew from a need for more volunteers.
Dean said Otford is a small school with less than 40 families. “We’ve had great support from the community in the past to help us with volunteers. This year it made sense to join together with 1st Helensburgh Scouts.”
“We’ve got Otford kids participating in Joeys, and Cubs. I think this is a great example of community coming together to present something for our broader community. It’s also an opportunity for both of us to promote ourselves in our local community.”
Scouts offers fun activities to help build resilient and confident children, adolescents and young adults from age 5 to 25.
Otford Public School is a small community school made up of three classes, which consistently achieve big results in STEM subjects.
The event is supported by some wonderful local businesses including our Gold sponsors (Ray White Helensburgh, Peabody and Tradies), Silver Sponsor (Wollongong City Council) and Bronze sponsors (The Painter and Co and Reclaim Your Space) as well as support for the BBQ from Christian’s Premium Meats.
All money raised will be divided evenly between Otford School Parents and Citizens Association and 1st Helensburgh Scouts.
Tickets to run can be bought on the day or pre-purchased (for a discount) via Eventbrite at https://rainbow2508.eventbrite.com.au
