This is the final weekend before our annual DARED Challenge starts. Hear from our Champions on why you should sign up to Do A Run Every Day this June.
Get your tickets here: https://eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-dared-challenge-2022-tickets-29679901283…
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.
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
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
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
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.
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.
The 2022 long-awaited MoonWalk Scotland will be back for the first time since 2019, raising money and awareness for those living with breast and other cancers.
This iconic fundraising event on Saturday 11th June is organised by grant-making breast cancer charity Walk the Walk. For the first time ever, the Virtual MoonWalk Scotland will kick off the day, followed by the LIVE MoonWalkers picking up the baton and pounding through the streets of Edinburgh after midnight!
Whilst the cheer and unity of all those taking part will warm the capital pink, they will be joined in spirit by many others across the UK, and the world, helping to make a real difference to the lives of people living with breast and other cancers. Having both a LIVE and Virtual challenge means there is something for everyone to take on a challenge of their choice, in a location of their choice.
Nina Barough CBE, Founder and Chief Executive of Walk the Walk said; “I am absolutely thrilled that The MoonWalk Scotland is back and for the first time in two years bringing people together again.
“This iconic, joyful event creates such an amazing feeling across Edinburgh, filling the streets of the city with colour and fun. Covid has had a devastating impact on those living with cancer and whilst our ability to raise funds has been very limited, we have continued to make smaller grants to charities that really needed help.
“It is so important that people do come together to take part, not only is every step a healthy one for the participant, it will be making a difference to those who need help now.
“We all need something to look forward to, so with the LIVE and Virtual options, it means that friends and family can unite in the cause wherever they are, but choose the option that suits them. And in true Walk the Walk style if many people do their little bit, we can do so much!”
To sign up for The MoonWalk Scotland 2022 or to make a donation go to:
WEDNESDAY 8th DECEMBER at SPARTANS COMMUNITY FOOTBALL ACADEMY
A hardy team of Asda area managers braved the chilly waters of the Firth of Forth when they took a dip for charity at Portobello yesterday.
With donations still coming in their efforts have now raised over £3000 for Children in Need.
PICTURES: Sharon Gray – Asda Leith Community Champion
FORTY managers from Asda central region – including local region manager Brian Boyle – will be taking a brave plunge into the chilly sea at Portobello at 1pm today to raise money for children in need (writes SHARON GRAY, Asda Leith’s Community Champion).
We have raised over £1000 so far, but are looking to raise more. Come along and give your support! Meet up at Bath Street entrance from 12:45pm.
Sharon has also sent some pictures of the Asda team in training:
