Bury St Edmunds bride’s pre-wedding 50th parkrun

For most women, the hours before their wedding ceremony are filled with pampering but for Bury St Edmunds bride-to-be Clare Steadman it was all about joining the 50 club.

The 47-year-old estate agent manager’s special day kicked off on Saturday at Nowton Park, where she was joined by nine of her close friends for a 5km run – her 50th parkrun.

“Fifty in parkrun is a real milestone and that’s what my aim was, to get there and do my 50th on my wedding day,” said Claire, who wore a white ‘Bride’ T-shirt for the occasion, complemented by her friends in the black ‘Bride Tribe’ shirts they wore for her hen weekend, all with tutus.

“It was great that my friends embraced it,” she added.

“We all stayed together. Everyone was very supportive and clapped us in, and they played ‘Here Comes The Bride’ on the loud speaker as we came across the finish line which was really nice. And I still had time to scrub up before the wedding.”

In fact, the now Mrs Cornish even had time to enjoy brunch at The Angel with 18 of her friends and family before marrying her partner of 10 years, Kevin Cornish, in a 4pm ceremony at St Mary’s Church.

“He thought I was completely and utterly mad but he completely supported it as well,” said Clare, adding: “‘Just make sure you can walk down the aisle’, that’s what he said.”

The pair, who first met at their mutual friends’ wedding reception, are now preparing to celebrate their new matrimony with a honeymoon in the Maldives.