Hundreds of schoolchildren took part in the annual Kings Langley Puffaten races.

The event, hosted by Kings Langley Primary School on June 12, was attended by the Dacorum Mayor and his wife, Bob and Wendy McLean, who started the races and handed out awards at the end.

Alan Johnson, a school governor, said: “Heavy rain on Sunday morning made it a very wet start for those heading for the Kings Langley Puffaten, but nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of the youngsters who arrived for the two fun runs.”

The children, who were not deterred by the rain, started the day with a warm-up by Wonder Woman and a treat from the tuck shop.

Adults were invited to compete alongside children in the 1.5km, 3km and 10km races, which saw the participants running through Kings Langley and Chipperfield.

The start of the 10km race was marked by a round of applause in memory of John Cherry, a talented athlete who founded the Puffarun nearly 30 years ago, who died last year.

John's motivation for starting the Puffarun was to encourage people of all ages to start running, especially those from Kings Langley.

John’s wife, Pat, and his daughters, Anna and Rebecca, donated a founder's trophy in his memory which was awarded to the first person from Kings Langley who completed the 10km race.

Winners of the 1.5km race were nine-year-old Ben Franklin Green and seven-year-old Sophie Bowker.

The winners of the 3km race were 11-year-olds Jack Denham and Eloise Dickins, and in the older category, 13-year-old Jessica Chadwick and 21-year-old Matt Cullen.