Tag: charity fundraising

The Proclaimers set walking challenge for Edinburgh resident

You don’t have to walk 500 miles to raise funds for Mary’s Meals this summer

The Proclaimers famously sang about walking 500 miles – and now the musical brothers are asking people in Edinburgh to take on their own walking challenge to help Mary’s Meals feed hungry children. 

The Scottish duo is calling for residents to take part in the charity’s Move for Meals campaign, which encourages people to raise sponsorship while getting active.  

Mary’s Meals serves nutritious school meals in some of the world’s poorest countries. The promise of a good meal attracts hungry children to the classroom, giving them the energy to learn and hope for a brighter future.   

The Proclaimers – Craig and Charlie Reid – have supported Mary’s Meals for several years.  

Craig says: “Summer is here, and there’s never been a better time to get your walking shoes on and raise money for this great charity. 

“It costs just £15.90 to feed a hungry child with Mary’s Meals for an entire school year – so a little sponsorship can make a big difference.” 

Charlie adds: “We’re not asking you to walk 500 miles, or 500 more… With Mary’s Meals, just a small number of steps can help to feed hungry children across the world.” 

Mary’s Meals reaches 2,279,941 children every school day in 20 countries, including Ethiopia, Syria and Haiti.   

Dan McNally, head of grassroots engagement at Mary’s Meals, says: “We serve Mary’s Meals in the world’s poorest, and often most difficult, locations because we know that’s where children need us the most.  

“Today, we face some of our greatest challenges yet in a world devastated by conflict, food insecurity and the cost of living crisis. It is easy to feel hopeless when faced with so much suffering.

“But every single thing that people do for our mission makes an enormous difference to the children who eat Mary’s Meals.” 

To find out more, please visit marysmeals.org.uk/move-for-meals 

Warriors ready to pedal to help break the cycle of homelessness

A team of former Scotland internationals and Glasgow Warriors rugby stars will be donning lycra this summer as they take on the ‘Break the Cycle’ challenge for homelessness charity Social Bite. 

The team, led by ex-Scotland captain and current Warriors Managing Director, Al Kellock, and including the likes of Gregor Townsend, Sean Longstaff, Ryan Grant, Callum Forrester, and John Manson, as well as Glasgow Warriors staff, will be pedalling the 60-mile route on Sunday 4th September from Scotstoun Stadium through to BT Murrayfield in Edinburgh. 

They’ll be joined on the day by Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy, comedian Elaine C Smith and an estimated 1,000 fellow fundraising cyclists taking on either the 60, 20 or three-mile routes with the aim of raising £1m to fund vital projects to end homelessness.  

The Warriors team is called ‘Team Tom Smith’ in memory of the former Scotland international who tragically passed away from colorectal cancer earlier this year. Ten per cent of all fundraising will be donated to a trust that has been set up by the Scottish rugby community in aid of Tom Smith’s family. 

As well as the physical event, the Break the Cycle campaign is also open to all through virtual challenges – with individuals, workplace teams and schools all encouraged to take on their own challenges to raise money to end homelessness. 

There’s something for all the family as well with the shorter cycling routes on offer and a host of live performances, and food and drink vendors at the finish site within BT Murrayfield. 

Al Kellock, Glasgow Warriors Managing Director, said: “I’m so proud that as a club we’re able to support Social Bite’s incredible work and play a small part in helping to break the cycle of homelessness while also helping to support Tom Smith’s family after the incredibly tough time they’ve been through. 

“I would encourage Scottish rugby fans to join me in setting off from Scotstoun all the way to BT Murrayfield and help us raise as much as possible. 

“It’s been a wee while since some of us in the team have trained like we did when we were playing so we’d be very grateful for the support!” 

Josh Littlejohn MBE, CEO and Co-Founder of Social Bite, said: “Break the Cycle is back this year, bigger and better and we’re thrilled to have Al and the rest of the Warriors on board to help us raise much-needed funds.

“The funds raised at Break the Cycle will help us support people across the country who have experienced homelessness, whether that’s through assisting people to find a safe place to call home, empowering people to get a job, or by providing free, fresh food to people who are homeless or suffering from food poverty.

“With our new routes this year, the support of our famous faces getting involved, and what promises to be a real festival feel at the finish line at BT Murrayfield, we’re in for a really exciting event. I’d encourage everyone to sign-up or donate if they can and come along to enjoy what’s set to be an incredible day.” 

Since launching in October 2021, Social Bite’s Jobs First employment programme has already supported 17 people from a background of homelessness in to mainstream employment.

The barriers to work for people who have experienced homelessness are vast, and by partnering with some of the UK’s largest employers to ensure meaningful employment with wrap-around support, Social Bite is well on its way to surpassing its year one target of 20 people in jobs.  

Break the Cycle takes place this September 4th.

To find out more, sign-up, or donate, please visit: www.breakthecycle.co.uk  

Sign up for Step out and help spot the signs of Leukaemia

Participants across the country are being invited to sign up to the Leukaemia Care Step Out Challenge for Spot Leukaemia, which launches this September. 

The aim is to move as far as you can between 1st and 30th September and raise as much as you can – there’s no minimum limit. To take part you can walk, run, cycle or run and set whatever distance you want to. Once signed up, all you need to do is ask friends and family to sponsor whatever they can.

Chief Executive of Leukaemia Care, Zack Pemberton-Whiteley, said: “The challenge is free to sign up to and people can raise anything they can – as every penny raised makes a difference to those living to help make a difference to those living with a leukaemia, MDS or MPN diagnosis.”

Leukaemia Care is delighted to reveal this year’s medal in an eco-friendly design, to be given to anybody who reaches the £50 milestone.

There is also a fabulous new t-shirt for the 2022 event for anybody who raises over £100, while those who raise £250 or more will receive a £20 gift card for the Leukaemia Care online shop. 

This year Leukaemia Care has introduced two fantastic overall trophies – one for the fundraiser that raises the most and another for the person who covers the most distance during the challenge. 

Sign up to Step Out then join the Facebook community to get motivated for your challenge. 

Ahead of Blood Cancer Awareness Month later this year, the charity is keen to share the six most common symptoms of leukaemia which are; fatigue, shortness of breath, fever or night sweats, bruising or bleeding, bone or joint pain, and repeated infections.

Learn more about the signs and symptoms of leukaemia here.

Keep your eyes peeled for Sunday’s Great Scottish Tattie Run!

Weekend visitors to Silverknowes Promenade in Edinburgh should keep their eyes peeled for a sack race with a difference.

The Great Scottish Tattie Run is back after a three year absence and more than 300 participants are expected to race with a 20kg sack of Branston Potatoes on their back.

The fun event on Sunday (26 June) is free and open to all ages – female runners can opt for a 10kg bag of tatties – while youngsters grouped according to age can enter the Spud & Spoon race.

And every runner can cash in their chips, taking home their free Branston bag of spuds, in addition to a bespoke medal marking their completion of the race.

The 6th Great Scottish Tattie Run gets underway at 2pm and entries can be taken on the day for people arriving by 1.30pm. The adult race for men and women is 1 mile long, followed by a relay race featuring teams of four who will run 400 metres each, and rounding off the fun with the children’s event.

Event organiser Terry Crossley, of Great Scottish Events, said: “There is nothing quite like The Great Scottish Tattie Run and we hope the people of Edinburgh will come along to take part or just to cheer on the runners.

“Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, Branston, race entry is free and participants can also take home their 10kg or 20kg bag of tatties, and for younger runners they will have great fun in the Spud & Spoon race.

“After an absence of three years due to Covid restrictions, we are delighted to be back at wonderful Silverknowes and hope we can establish The Great Scottish Tattie Run as a not-to-be-missed fun family annual event.”

Kevin Imrie, general manager of Branston’s potato-packing site in Abernethy near Perth, said: “We’re delighted to be sponsoring this fantastic event once again and helping to raise funds for some very worthy charities in the process.

“Twenty kilos is a hefty weight to carry, never mind running a mile with it, so it’s real test of strength and stamina as well as a great way to work up an appetite for all those tatties.”

For more information and to enter the race, visit The Great Scottish Tattie Run or turn up on Sunday at Silverknowes Promenade near to the Boardwalk Beach Club by 1.30pm.

Website: www.greatscottishevents.net

Letters: Schools invited to take part in The Big Breaktime on Childhood Day

Dear Editor,

Next month, for Childhood Day, schools across Scotland and the rest of the UK will come together to raise funds for the NSPCC. This will help us deliver our services and support children across the country.

Childhood Day is the charity’s flagship fundraising event, when the public are encouraged to embrace their inner child, celebrating play to put the fun into fundraising.

As part of the celebration on 10 June, we are encouraging schools and nurseries to take part in The Big Breaktime – an extra hour of play with pupils, staff and parents being encouraged to give a small donation towards funding vital NSPCC projects, like Childline.

https://youtu.be/mMcOHBaKkN0

Schools can sign up for The Big Breaktime via the NSPCC’s Childhood Day hub The Big Breaktime | NSPCC From there, they will be able to download lots of exciting resources to help them plan a Big Breaktime in their school.

To sign up to the Big Breaktime, all you have to do is visit the NSPCC website, search for The Big Breaktime and fill in your school’s details with the registration form.

Paul Cockram

Head of Fundraising

NSPCC Scotland

Edinburgh student takes on Red Cross challenge to support refugees

Farzan Dalal, a Design for Change student from Midlothian is running 22 miles to raise money for refugees this June.  

Edinburgh resident Farzan, age 30, has set himself the goal of covering 22 miles as part of the British Red Cross Miles for Refugees challenge, which is the equivalent of a journey across the English Channel. 

For the month of June, anyone can take on one of six distances that highlight the life-risking journeys refugees are forced to take to reach safety.  

Farzan, says he is taking part in Miles for Refugees for very personal reasons: “The refugee crisis is very close to my heart. People forced to leave everything they know to be home, in search of safety is heartbreaking but at the same time unfathomably courageous! 

“In my home country, as a queer person in a closeted society, I have experienced continuous inner conflict. A fear of rejection, and a constant effort to maintain a front that hides my queer identity.  

“It is exhausting, emotionally unfulfilling, and a looming fear for my safety.” 

Farzan, who moved to the UK just before the coronavirus pandemic, added: “My experience does not at all equate to people fleeing homelands on account of conflict, oppression or climate change., I am highly privileged to be moving countries at my will, but I can still empathise.  

“All I want is for more and more people to empathise and understand that home is not something we can take for granted. Some of us have to fight hard to find and make our own. Let us support and welcome those who need to do exactly that.” 

Alex Fraser, Director of Refugee Support & Restoring Family Links for the British Red Cross, said: “People who have had to leave their countries due to war, persecution, extreme famine or devastating natural disasters have experienced the worst things in life. We have seen just how heart-breaking these journeys have been for families arriving in the UK. 

 “The British Red Cross has been calling for a kinder, more compassionate asylum system to support people who have been forced to leave their home behind and take dangerous journeys. We believe every refugee matters. 

“A wave of people in the UK clearly care about people seeking refuge and asylum in the UK. Remarkably, we are seeing so many eager to help personally. By taking part in Miles for Refugees this June, you are showing the very best of humankind.” 

The money raised will go towards the charity’s work supporting refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK.  

With more than 6 million people forced to leave their homes in Ukraine this year, and ongoing crises in Syria and Afghanistan and around the world, standing with refugees is more important than ever. 

British Red Cross teams are supporting people from Ukraine arriving at ports and airports in Scotland and throughout the UK.  

Staff and volunteers are providing support through things like food, water, hygiene items, nappies, a hot cup or tea or coffee, and essentials to help people keep in touch, like SIM cards, mobile phones and chargers.

A welcome pack with essential information available in English, Ukrainian and Russian, about life in the UK, and one-off cash sum, provided via a debit card, to help people buy what they need when they arrive. We are also providing people with mobility aids, such as wheelchairs, if and when they need them. 

To download our Spotify playlist created by some of the nation’s most loved celebrities in support of refugees, visit:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Tt81ffwh5w15fJS1caYZs?si=05aa3a20a21642e5&nd=1 

To sponsor Farzan, visit https://miles.redcross.org.uk/fundraising/farzans-miles-for-refugees-22-mile-challenge  

To sign up for Miles for Refugees visit miles.redcross.org.uk  

Letter: Take on the Three Peaks Challenge and fight meningitis

Dear Editor,

We’re inviting outdoor enthusiasts among your readers to join charity Meningitis Now on an exhilarating but scenic adventure to take on a Three Peaks Challenge and help us beat the deadly disease.

The Three Peaks Challenge between Friday 10 and Sunday 12 June entails climbing Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis, the highest peaks in Wales, England and Scotland over just 36 hours.

It is not for the faint-hearted, but those taking part will take an enormous amount of satisfaction from the challenge whilst enjoying the beautiful scenery and supporting our fight to beat meningitis in the UK within a generation.

Sadly, meningitis and septicaemia continue to affect thousands of people in the UK and kill more under-5s than any other infectious disease. Help us to fund research to eradicate this devastating disease, raise lifesaving awareness and support those affected.

We’d love you to join our team. You’ll find all the information you need to sign up on our website at www.meningitisnow.org Or email fundraising@meningitisnow.org

Yours faithfully

Kirsty Owen-Hayward

Fundraising Manager, Meningitis Now,

Fern House, Bath Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 3TJ

Mark Foster urges Edinburgh swimmers to ‘Make a Splash’ with Swimathon

FORMER team GB swimmer Mark Foster is calling on people across Edinburgh and the Lothians to take the plunge and sign up for Swimathon 2022.

The swimming hero is helping to highlight the annual fundraiser which raises money for Cancer Research UK and Marie Curie.

He is urging people of all ages and abilities to enter the sponsored event taking place at pools across Scotland from 6-8 May.

With a variety of distances to choose from – from 400m up to 30.9k – Swimathon offers a challenge for swimmers young and old, new and experienced. People can participate individually or as part of a team.

Any swimmers who can’t make one of the organised sessions can sign up to MySwimathon, which takes place from 29 April-15 May, and choose a time and venue that suits them.

After another challenging year for the sport, following the impact of the pandemic, Mark is championing the positive power of swimming to help inspire people to get back to the pool.

He said: “Swimming is a fantastic form of exercise, with a wide range of benefits for both your physical and mental health and is accessible to people with varying abilities and needs.

“So, whether you’re a keen swimmer who is in the pool all the time, prefer to be in open water or if you are just dipping your toes in for the first time, Swimathon is the perfect challenge for everyone. That’s why I’m asking everyone to get involved and feel the benefits of this fantastic sport whilst raising money for two great charities in Cancer Research UK and Marie Curie.”

Swimathon is the world’s largest annual swimming fundraiser. Since launching in 1986, more than 750,000 swimmers have taken part, raising over £55 million for charitable causes.

This year will also see the Swimathon Foundation donate £2.50 from the entry fee of everybody taking part at an official Swimathon venue to help protect these pools for the future.

Victoria Steven, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for Scotland, said: “It really doesn’t matter if you’re not the fittest or the fastest, Swimathon is such a fun and simple way to encourage people to get swimming – all while supporting causes which are close to the hearts of so many.

“1 in 2 of us will get cancer*, but all of us can support the research that will beat it. From proving the link between smoking and cancer to laying the foundations for modern radiotherapy – our scientists have been at the forefront of cancer research for 120 years.

“And we’re not stopping now. That’s why we’re urging swimmers to dive in this spring, raise money and help us keep investing in science today to deliver the treatments of tomorrow. Together we will beat cancer.”

Marie Curie Nurse, Janet Lockheart, and Healthcare Assistant, Amy Chellew, will be undertaking Swimathon this year, after originally planning to do it in 2020.

Janet said: “We decided to do Swimathon to raise money to support the wonderful team at Marie Curie and the people that we care for. We’ve seen first-hand the difference fundraising can make to families that need our support, so to be able to do this for them, and for those supported by Cancer Research UK is amazing.

“Swimming is a great way to get fit and raise money, so we’re really excited – we’ve been waiting two years to say we’ve completed Swimathon.”

Not only will taking part help to raise money, moderate exercise such as swimming can help build stamina, burn calories and keep a healthy body weight, which reduces the risk of a range of diseases including cancer. 

Swimming regularly is also gentle on the joints, canlower stress levels, reduce anxiety and depression, andimprove sleep patterns. 

Sign up for Swimathon 2022 at swimathon.org. Between 8-16 March use code SPRINGSALE35 for a 35% discount off the registration fee.

2022: Make a Splash for RLSS UK

Now that January has been and gone you might be thinking of those new year’s resolutions you made last month and are yet to make a start on. Was taking on a new challenge one of them? How about raising money for charity?

If so, the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) can help with their Make a Splash challenge. The challenge gives you the change to clock up miles in water-based activities including swimming, open water swimming, kayaking, canoeing, or stand-up-paddleboarding.

RLSS UK is a national charity and the leader in lifesaving and lifeguarding training across the UK and Ireland and fundraising and donations can enhance communities, so everyone can enjoy being in, on and around water, safely, because every life is worth saving.

Make a Splash challenges you to be the best version of yourself, both physically and mentally, as well as giving you the opportunity to smash some personal goals whilst helping everyone across the UK enjoy water safely.

Charity Director of the Royal Life Saving Society UK, Lee Heard, commented “The Make a Splash challenge is completely flexible in location and timescale so you can complete the challenge when it works for you in a way that suits your strengths. You can choose to swim, canoe, or stand-up paddleboard and RLSS UK will offer full support throughout your challenge to keep you motivated.

“Make a Splash is available in a variety of distances: 10km, 25km, 50km, and 100km so you can take your pick on a distance to suit you. Entering the challenge means you will receive a swim hat along with a booklet full of tips and support to ensure you have everything you need to complete the challenge and succeed.

“When you complete the challenge, you’ll also receive a medal and certificate so you can celebrate your success.

“We also have a wealth of water safety advice to ensure that you stay safe during your challenge.

“Not only will you be completing a fantastic challenge, but you will be raising funds for charity help us to ensure that everyone can enjoy water safely can continue to be shared widely.

“At the start of each month, you can share your fundraising total and be added to the leaderboard and if you are crowned top fundraiser, you will win a prize at the end of the year.”

To find out more and to sign up to your Make a Splash challenge visit:

www.rlss.org.uk/make-a-splash and kickstart your fundraising.