More than 300 children donned their running shoes in support of a national campaign which aims to get youngsters off the couch and active.

The school students from west Suffolk took part in the GO Run For Fun event at Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre yesterday morning, cheered on by teachers and fellow pupils.

The county is playing host to four such mass runs over the coming days, including one at Gorseland Primary School in Martlesham today. Overall, more than 1,450 Suffolk children are expected to take part.

Backed by sporting heroes such as British Olympians Lord Coe, Brendan Foster and Colin Jackson with more celebrity ambassadors expected to be announced shortly, the mass participation running campaign aims to encourage kids to swap the TV and computer games for physical activities.

Getting children moving is seen as an important part of tackling childhood obesity, which is fast becoming an issue for the UK.

The GO Run For Fun campaign has a target of getting 100,000 youngsters running by 2016, making it the biggest children’s running initiative in the world.

The series of runs is the idea of Jim Ratcliffe, owner of leading chemical company INEOS, which has donated £1.5million to establish a new charitable foundation to encourage children to run for fun.

Mr Ratcliffe said: “If our children can catch the running bug early, they’re more likely to stick to it, and this can only lead to them having more active and healthier lifestyles in the future.”

Visit www.gorunforfun.com for more details.