THE conditions may not have been great - one runner described them as "horrendous" - but that didn't matter to the 350 people who gathered in the rain at Queen's Park yesterday.

All they wanted to do was to take part in Moira's Run, a 5k run in honour of Moira Jones, who was murdered in the park in May 2008.

And time and again, people said it was good to reclaim the park in the name of something decent and positive.

The run was in celebration of Moira's life. It was also designed to allow the runners to enjoy a "wonderful park" and raise money for the Moira Fund charity.

The event was started by Dame Elish Angiolini, the former Lord Advocate who had led the prosecution at the trial of Moira's killer, Marek Harcar. He was jailed for at least 25 years in 2009.

Dame Elish is patron of the Moira Fund, which helps people bereaved by murder or manslaughter.

Moira's mother Bea told the runners: "We are just overwhelmed by the wonderful turn-out and the outpouring of support.

"This is a very emotional event for us ... Moira was full of fun and full of life, and she would have loved this.

"When she died, all her friends and colleagues wrote wonderful things about her, and one of them sticks in my mind today. It said: 'Always warm and smiling, Moira was a magnet for goodwill.'

"I thank you all for showing us today that not only was Moira a magnet for goodwill, but that she still is."

Dame Elish and her fellow Moira Fund patron, Elaine C Smith, spoke of how much the event meant to them.

Elainesaid: "I think it's a wonderful idea to do it, and the thing for me is about reclaiming the park from very dark stuff, for the people who live around here and loved this park for years."

"It's actually a joyous occasion," added Dame Elish, "to celebrate the future of what we can do to try and change the circumstances where there are no-go areas in cities. There shouldn't be no-go areas in any city - "

At the finish line, as she prepared to hand out medals, Bea Jones said: "It's been very emotional but I'm going along with it all."

Moira's brother, Grant, said the run had been a "wonderful, positive event." He said the event would take place again next September.