Carvers to sponsor Wolverhampton Marathon

Organisers of the Wolverhampton Marathon have told of their delight that building supplies firm Carvers has been able to sponsor this year's race.

The announcement comes after the firm's warehouses were ravaged by fire in February. A temporary warehouse has since opened at its Little's Lane site, and it was feared the marathon might be affected.

But, despite a tough few months, the company has pledged to be the main sponsor and underwriter of the event for the 15th consecutive year.

Committee chairman Mary Harding said that "so many people" had thought the damage to the Carvers business could have meant the end of the marathon.

She said: "We want to get the message out there that the marathon is still on. That would be a tribute to Carvers as well."

Carvers owner Henry Carver said the firm was running at about 85 per cent. He said: "The mar-athon continues to be competitively priced especially compared to Birmingham."

The businessman said he would continue his tradition of participating in the event by completing the 19.4km cycling race this year.

This year's marathon, on September 2, is in aid of charities such as Penn Hall school, Wolves Community Trust and the Mayoral Charity Fund. Application forms can be found online at http://www.wolverhamptonmarathonevents.co.uk.