Newly crowned Strictly Come Dancing winner Alesha Dixon and Capital Radio breakfast host Johnny Vaughan were out in Leicester Square this morning urging Londoners to get their trainers on and go the extra mile for a kid's charity, Help a London Child.

The former Mis-Teeq member- who lost over a stone due to the intensive training on the BBC show - was encouraging the capital's residents to take part in London's most popular 10k run, the BUPA Great Capital Run 2008.

The event will be held in London's Hyde Park on Sunday 20 July and is expected to attract over 11,000 runners. There will also be a Junior Great Capital Run which is for youngsters of all abilities aged between 8 and 14 years old.

The run hopes to raise £250,000 for Help a London Child providing support for children suffering from the effects of poverty, abuse, homelessness, illness and disability.

Dixon, who will be taking part in the run, said: "It doesn't matter if you're an experienced runner or a complete novice, you can skip, jump or walk your way around the route if you like. You can be sure to have a great time while raising money for a very worthy cause."

The 10km event is open to runners of all abilities aged 15 and over.