Hundreds of runners donned festive outfits for Christmas Day run at Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds

A record number of runners donned festive outfits and braved the cold for a Christmas Day run.

Nearly 500 children and adults gathered at Nowton Park for the annual 5km event, organised by Bury St Edmunds Parkrun.

Participants could choose to walk or run the route, which started just after 9am.

Sue Dunne, event organiser, said the run was a great way to kick off the festive celebrations.

“We’re a community and we meet up every week,” said Sue.

“This was a great opportunity to bring everyone together on Christmas Day, get some fresh air and have a really nice start to the day.

“Most people were finished by 10am, so it didn’t take much time out of the day.”

“It was a rather damp, grey day, but that didn’t matter - the atmosphere was very jolly.”

The Christmas Day run started about a decade ago.

This year’s event saw a record turnout, with 567 people taking part.