ENTRIES are now being taken for next year's Waters Wilmslow Half Marathon.

The popular event, regularly contested by both locals and the cream of England’s elite distance runners, will take place on Sunday, March 19, 2017.

Past winners Andy Jones, Thomas Abyu and three-times women's champion Michelle-Ross Cope have used the event as a spring board to European, World or Commonwealth Games championships.

Total prize money and bonuses exceeds £10,000 and runners need to enter quickly as all 5,200 places have been snapped up by the early new year on previous occasions.

This edition's chosen charity is Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, which cares for more than 240,000 young patients each year.

The charity’s aims are to support excellence in the treatment, research and care that the hospital provides to young patients.

You can speak with a member of the charity team on 0161 276 4522, or by email at charity.events@cmft.nhs.uk The race will start on Kings Road, close to Wilmslow Rugby Club, with the pistol sounding at 10.30am.

Residents should expect traffic to be particularly busy on race day.

For 2017, race entries can only be made online via wilmslowhalfmarathon.org.uk/entries/.