Independent caterer Aspens Services has doubled its entry into this year's Bupa Great Birmingham Run Business Challenge compared with last year.

Worcester-based Aspens, which specialises in catering for primary and secondary schools across the UK, will have 23 runners on the start line next Sunday including chefs, catering staff and teachers from North Birmingham Academy.

They will be raising money for Birmingham Children's Hospital, with a target of £20,000 to raise across the company in a year of fundraising activity.

Team co-ordinator Ken Tee said: "Catering for children is what we do and we encourage them to eat healthily and exercise.

"For them to see us doing something like this is quite important. All of our schools are challenged to do an event to contribute to our annual donation to our chosen charity and the Great Birmingham Run is just one of our fund raising activities.

"In addition, we have a number of team members with children in the hospital, so it's a nominated charity, which is very close to our hearts."

Aspens, which provides catering to more than 100 schools, are one of only a few contract caterers in the country to have been awarded the Soil Association's Food for Life Gold Catering Mark.

Organisers of the Bupa Great Birmingham Run hope to beat the record 20,000 runners who took part in 2013 when the run reached capacity a week before the event.

With interest increasing every year, the entry limit for the 2014 run has been raised to 22,000, while this year's Business Challenge is already the most successful ever.

Who can take part?

- Small, Medium and Large businesses

- Male, female and mixed teams (Mixed teams must be minimum of two male and two female)

- Minimum of four people and maximum of eight people per team (you can enter as many teams as you wish)

- Team members must be 16 years of age or over on race day

How does it work?

- Prizes to the first three teams in each category

- Accumulated first four finishing times in each team will count

- The fastest overall time in each category wins

Prizes

- An engraved trophy will be awarded for the winning team in each category

- The top three teams in each category will receive an engraved plaque

- Every team that enters 12 or more employees will receive their own personalised company engraved plaque

Visit www.greatrun.org for more information