Video: 2,500 kids run in memory of murdered Leeds school teacher Ann Maguire

Don and Kerry Maguire start the race with Olympian Perri Shakes-Drayton. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.

About 2,500 children from 30 Catholic Schools across West Yorkshire descended on St Theresa’s Catholic Primary School in Crossgates for the Go Run for Fun 2km run on Friday.

The event is expected to raise up to £10,000 for the Ann Maguire Arts Education Fund, which was set up following Mrs Maguire’s death on April 28 last year.

She was stabbed to death by 15-year-old pupil Will Cornick as she taught Spanish at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Halton in a case which caused international consternation.

Speaking before Friday’s run, Mrs Maguire’s widower, Don, said: “It might be a year on the calendar, but for us as a family, these are still very early days. It’s wonderful to have events like this ... It has given a focus and a meaning that has proved very important during the last year.

“Ann was a great, energetic, vivacious person and she would love this kind of occasion. It represents very much who she was.”

Mrs Maguire’s daughter Kerry added: “She would have been amazed that such a large event had been organised to donate to her fund and excited about the number of school kids involved and excited about running with all the benefits of health and fitness.”

The race was started by Mr Maguire along with Great Britain’s Olympic 400m hurdler Perri Shakes-Drayton.

She said: “It was tragic what happened, but in the long run these kids are doing something positive to bring good out of a terrible situation.”