Boys and girls are invited to get muddy for a good cause at a new event in support of Cancer Research UK.

The charity's annual Race for Life event is this year introducing an obstacle course designed for children at the Norfolk Showground on May 12.

Youngsters will face a range of fun and muddy obstacles to crawl under and climb over including scramble nets, mud chutes and space hoppers.

As well as the children's event, there will also be the normal 5km, 10km and 'Pretty Muddy' courses for women to take part in.

Money raised will help Cancer Research UK scientists find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease, helping save more lives.

Gemma Turpin, Cancer Research UK's event manager, said: 'We can't wait to bring Race for Life Pretty Muddy Kids to Norwich for the very first time.

'The obstacle course promises plenty of fun, thrills and spills and we hope children will rally their friends, family and schoolmates to sign up and make a splash for Cancer Research UK.'

One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but more people are now surviving the disease than ever before.

Cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK said its work has been at the heart of that progress.

The charity was able to spend around £49m last year in East Anglia on some of the UK's leading scientific and clinical research.

Its Race for Life events, in partnership with Tesco, is a women-only series of 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy, half marathon and hiking events.

The entry fee for Pretty Muddy Kids is £10.

The event is open to boys and girls aged from five to 12 years old and there is a minimum height requirement of 1.2m.

All children must be accompanied by a supervising adult, who have free entry to the event.

From January 1 to 31, women are being offered 30pc off entry fees for the event.

To enter Race for Life Pretty Muddy Kids visit raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770.

The children's event takes place on Saturday, May 12.

Meanwhile the normal women-only events are on Sunday, May 13, also at the Norfolk Showground.