After 20 years of fundraising challenges, the coronavirus pandemic forced us to find new ways to support our community last year.
In 2021, however, we were delighted to be back, taking on a “by any means necessary” virtual trip from Land’s End to John o’ Groats.
The whole HA&W team walked, ran, and cycled in aid of the Loughborough Area Food Bank and we are delighted to announce that our challenge has now been successfully completed!
Here’s how we did it.
The challenge got off to an amazing start
We got off to a flying start cycling, running, walking and even rowing over the weekend of 11 and 12 September, covering over 500 miles in total.
The weekend’s best-attended activity was a cycle around Rutland Water (19 miles), which was undertaken by seven members of staff, accompanied by some family members. We even had a dog in a bicycle basket as a mascot!
Everyone has contributed, with those unable to cycle doing lots of early morning and evening walks.
We all use an app called “Conqueror” to monitor our progress and everyone’s mileage is either added by the team member themselves or, better still, uploaded automatically by those with a smartwatch. This has produced some amusing results as Laura keeps cycling the English Channel on her spin bike for some reason!
Our 10-strong team kept the momentum going with tons of cake to power us up to and through the following weekend (18 and 19 September), when another cycle ride at Rutland Water was completed, along with walks in the Peak District, helping to reach our 1,083-mile target.
As well as raising funds for our nominated charity – the Loughborough Foodbank – we were all keeping fit at the same time, so the whole event has been very positive.
A big well done to everyone!
There’s still time to get involved and support a great local charity
Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far. Remember that you can donate via our 2021 Fundraising Form, which allows us to keep track of the money we have raised. Clicking “Submit” will take you to the charity’s official donation page, where you will be asked to enter your full details.
If you would prefer to donate with a cheque rather than via the web, please phone Lou in the office and she will send you a form and a pre-paid envelope.
The Loughborough Food Bank is a local charity, supporting the vulnerable in our own community. It has given away over 82 tonnes of food since it was founded in 2018 and your donations can help the charity to continue its great work.
The money we raise will help to extend the services offered, including providing tips for budgeting and maximising income and helping people to find work. The charity’s long-term aim is to help people solve the underlying issues of poverty.
You can take a look at the incredible work the Loughborough Area Food Bank is doing and click below to donate.
The results are in!
Our fundraiser for New Life (the Loughborough food bank) was a great success.
In the end, with a few last-minute cheques arriving, we raised £2,952 before an allowance for Gift Aid, which should boost the total by at least 20%.
Every member of staff contributed to the effort – running, walking, cycling, and in one case, rowing the Land’s End to John o’Groats route of over 1,000 miles.
We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this very worthwhile cause.
