MOMENTUM IS BUILDING FOR OUR SEPTEMBER FUN WALK - COME JOIN US?

The organisers of the annual Fun Walk are delighted to report that over 65 local charities and community groups and an expected 1,500 supporters are now signed up for this year’s Fun Walk.

Our Fun Walk Trust helps charities, local schools and churches, grass roots sports teams and other community groups raise funds for their projects and initiatives through an annual sponsored walk, and tops up the money raised in sponsorship by each participating organisation, over and above the amount they raise themselves.

Last year with the help of local businesses, our Bonus Pot was able to provide a 40% bonus (meaning £40 was added for every £100 raised in sponsorship), and nearly £95,000 was raised in total by participating organisations.

John Baron MP and Chair of the Fun Walk Trustees said:

“We would like to thank the local business who have so far generously agreed to support this year’s Bonus Pot. These include Swan Housing, IFE Global Logistics, Greater Anglia, Anisha Grange Care Home, Butyl Products Group, Tunnelcraft, RIS Group, Mr Barrie Stone and others. So far over £25,000 has been donated to the pot, which acts as a real incentive for participants to raise money for their good causes.”

Charities and local community groups are encouraged to register at www.thefunwalktrust.co.uk

A little history about our Fun Walk:

John Baron MP and his team started the Fun Walk in 2002 to commemorate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and raised £6,000 for six charities and projects. The event became an annual one and continues to grow.

To assist with its growth, in 2013 the Fun Walk became a registered Charity and it is now officially known as The Fun Walk Trust (Registered Charity number: 1151626). In 2019 Basildon Billericay and Wickford CVS was appointed to administer the event on behalf of the Trustees.

John continues his role with the charity as Chair of the Trustees and by soliciting support and sponsorship from local businesses. The BONUS POT is a unique feature of the event, into which local businesses and individuals kindly donate and which is then distributed to participating organisations on a pro rata basis in addition to the monies they themselves raise in sponsorship.

With the generous support of our Bonus Pot sponsors, in 2022 the Fun Walk Trust was able to provide a 40% bonus over and above the amount raised by participating organisations through their own sponsorship efforts, with the event raising a total of £94,437 for local charities and community groups. The amount raised in 2022 brings the total raised to £1,450,000 since the Fun Walk’s inception.

The Fun Walk Trust organises the walk and takes care of the paperwork, leaving the projects free to focus on raising sponsorship money and enjoying the event. The event is not confined to charities: any good cause or project may join us once approved by the Trust. For example, many pre-schools and schools, churches and community groups now regularly participate.

In 2020, given the challenges presented by COVID-19 and the recognition that our local charities and good causes needed our help more than ever, the decision was made to switch to a virtual format, allowing supporters to walk the distance anytime during the selected month. This proved to be very successful and so will be continued for 2023.