TV PRESENTER and actress Lisa Rogers, who comes from Trellech and lives locally, will be the official starter at Devauden’s cross country races on May Bank Holiday Monday May 2nd.

Afterwards she will officially open the new rustic playground which has been built partly with money raised by last year’s races and a £2,000 grant from the New Grove Farm Trust based at Trellech.

Lisa, who found fame as the co-presenter of Channel 4’s iconic Scrapheap Challenge and films like “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”, is hoping her two children will compete in the races and then enjoy the new playground made of tree trunks from the adjacent Chepstow Park Woods and donated by Natural Resources Wales. The landscaped park has been made by local artisan Curtis Beeby.

This will be the fifth running of Devauden races, with the 2k, 3k, 5k and 10k all passing through the 100 acres that make up Chepstow Park Woods, a designated area of outstanding natural beauty. All races are multi terrain and off road.

This year the races are affiliated with Welsh Athletics through the Spirit of Monmouth Running Club and for the first time will be using chip technology for fast and accurate results.

The 10k is open to anyone aged 15 or older and if either the first man or woman home breaks the course record they will win a £100 prize. The course record is 36.05 while the female record is 39.54.

The 5k is for 11 to 14 year olds; the 3k for 9-10 year olds and the 2k for 7 and 8 year olds. Adults cannot compete in these races.

The 3k and 2k are free to enter, as is the highly popular 60m dash for the 6 and unders. All children under 14, including the 60m dash, receive a race medal and sweets on completion.

All race winners and category winners receive a distinctive tree-shaped trophy, and the first 100 runners in the 10K will win a unique T-shirt.

The main sponsor is again Western Power Distribution, with Nathan James Estate Agents sponsoring the T-shirts and Mon Timber providing the children’s medals.

Crickhowell Massage are on hand to provide treatments before and after the races, while Apex Outdoor will have a stall at the event. Both have donated raffle prizes.

Money raised by the races will be shared equally between Severn Area Rescue Association, which provides emergency and first aid cover throughout the events, and Devauden’s Hood Memorial Hall.

Online entry is open until midnight tonight (April 29th), however you can enter on the day. Registration opens at 8.30am and the first race, the 2k, starts at 9.30am. The 3k starts at 10, 5k at 10.30am, 60m dash at 11.15am and the 10k at 11.30am.

The prize giving will be at 1pm and the official opening of the playground at approximately 1.30pm

For more information and pre–entry visit www.devauden.org.uk/races