More than 250 athletes took part in the second Bury St Edmunds Triathlon Festival – which raised £5,000 for a Suffolk emergency medical charity.

The festival, which was held at the town’s Abbeycroft Leisure Centre, on April 29, saw 261 participants take part in a variety of events including triathlon, aquathlon and duathlon with varying distances to suit all ages and abilities.

The event, which was sponsored by Bury St Edmunds-based solicitors Greene and Greene in its 125th anniversary year, raised money for Suffolk Accident Rescue Service (SARS).

SARS provides specialist volunteer doctors and paramedics to assist the East of England Ambulance Service at the scenes of serious incidents – in the home or at the roadside.

The event was first held in June 2016, with the festival offering a choice of triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon, and returned this year after a one-year hiatus.

The festival also included demonstrations by the SARS team, specialist Bury St. Edmunds bike shop Revel Outdoors, and refreshment stalls.

Michael Batty, senior partner at Greene & Greene, said: “We were delighted to be given the opportunity of sponsoring the St Eds Tri Festival in our 125th anniversary year in support of SARS.

“The charity relies entirely on voluntary donations and we are therefore thrilled that donations totalled £5,000 following the event.

“We thank the organisers, Haversports, who contributed £1400 to SARS, and local businesses and associates that also supported the event.”

Ben Hall, operations manager at SARS, said: “We were extremely grateful for the support of Greene & Greene throughout the event.

“Without a doubt, we would not have raised such a fantastic amount without their sponsorship and promotion of the triathlon.

“Events like this are so important for SARS, not only do they raise vital sums to support equipment and training costs for our emergency medical volunteers but they also raise crucial awareness of our charity.

“Subsequent to this event, we were delighted to be able to set up a new local SARS responder to increase our coverage in the St Edmundsbury area.

“We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who fundraised on our behalf. It was a brilliant effort by all concerned.”