HUNDREDS of runners swapped Christmas jumpers for lycra today to take part in the Autism Wessex 10k.

More than 750 people participated in the charity run, which this year took place at the beautiful Somerley Estate near Ringwood.

And is it expected that a total of £5,000 will be raised through their efforts.

First to the start line was Alex Bidwell, of Ferndown.

The experienced runner is set to complete the Greater Manchester Marathon in the spring.

He said: “This is a bit of a new year warm-up for me.

“I've not done a race here before and it seemed like a good opportunity to run around this lovely estate.”

Friends Ewa Sojka, Joe Evans and Joanna Sliwka, all from Southampton, undertook the challenge as part of their bid to run a total of 2,015 miles this year.

Ewa said: “We decided that between us we would try and cover the distance by the end of the year.

“It's about 672 miles each, and we're aiming to complete a running event each month to keep us on track.”

Mark White, of Poole, bounded through the miles dressed as Winnie the Pooh's pal Tigger.

“I'm just getting myself ready for a charity run in the spring - I've got several marathons lined up,” he said, adding that he was dressed as his “alter-ego” because “I'm quite bouncy myself”.

Susanna Woods of charity Autisim Wessex said around 650 people had signed up to take part in the race before the big day, with around 100 more registering in the hours before the event began.

“It's so nice to see everyone out here showing their support for a local charity and hopefully having fun at the same time,” she said.

“We're lucky to be here at this beautiful estate.”

To see all of the pictures from today's charity run, head to our gallery.