South and City College are official sponsors of the first ever Emerald Mile, taking place ahead of the Birmingham St Patrick’s Festival and Kiely Bros Ltd Presents the Birmingham St. Patrick’s Parade on Sunday 12th March 2017.

The Emerald Mile kicks off proceedings at 10am outside South and City college, which will also act as race HQ for runner registrations and a secure area for runners to leave belongings. The Emerald Mile will see participants run, jog, walk and dance their way around the two miles of the Parade route in their best fancy dress.

South and City colleges sponsorship covers the £10 fee allowing runners, which is capped at 250 entrants for the first year, to enter for free and run to raise money for a charity of their choice or the Birmingham St Patrick’s Day Parade itself.

Registration closes at 3pm on Friday 10th March 2017 and the first 30 runners will also receive a branded memento I Ran the Emerald Mile t-shirt courtesy of South and City College. Attendees are invited to come and cheer on the runners from 10am, with all festival areas opening at 11am, and of course the Parade starting from Camp Hill at 12 noon. Organisers hope that the Emerald Mile will be a fun way to kick off the day’s celebrations in the city, with prizes for the best fancy dress and best times up for grabs.

Mike Hopkins, Principal of South and City College, explains: “South and City College has sponsored and supported the St Patrick’s Festival and Parade for a number of years now; it’s one of the highlights on the college events calendar. Our Digbeth campus is open every year to welcome visitors to the parade with refreshments, music and a place to rest and relax during the day’s busy activities and our music and media students get some great experience putting together the music show for the general public who call in to watch the acts.

“We are delighted to be the official sponsor for the first ever charity fun run, the Emerald Mile and we are looking forward to cheering on the runners and walkers. The parade, with its fantastic array of colour and activity all the way down the Digbeth High street, is a great event for the College to be involved in and there will be a welcome at the college for everyone.”

A number of other local businesses have also offered support the event, including Birmingham-based signage company, Event Signs Ltd., who will provide the Emerald Mile gantry at the start and finish line outside South and City College. The company are strong supporters of the much-loved community event, the company also regularly provide signage and banners for the Parade free of charge.

Also pledging their services are Motorpoint, the UK’s largest car supermarket, who have two sites in the West Midlands at Aston and Oldbury, have offered a timer vehicle for the race, and will be situated at the start line to monitor participants times.