The 2.6 Challenge
Thousands of fundraising events across the UK have been cancelled due to Covid-19 with a devastating impact on charity income that means many charities are facing closure.
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) CEO Karl Wilding estimates that the UK charity sector will lose £4 billion in income as a result of the pandemic.
In response, the organisers of the biggest mass-participation sports events across the country have come together to create a new campaign to raise vital funds to help save the UK’s charities.
The ‘2.6 Challenge’ campaign will launch on Sunday 26 April – what should have been the date of the 40th edition of the London Marathon, the world’s biggest one-day annual fundraising event, which raised £66.4 million for charities in 2019.
From Sunday 26 April, the public is asked to dream up an activity based around the numbers 2.6 or 26 and fundraise or donate to save the UK’s charities via wwwtwopointsixchallenge.co.uk. The 2.6 Challengeis open to anyone of any age – the only requirement is that the activity must follow the Government guidelines on exercise and social distancing.
‘The 2.6 Challenge can be anything that works for you,’ said Nick Rusling, co-chair of the Mass Participation Sports Organisers group (MSO) and CEO of Human Race. ‘You can run or walk 2.6 miles, 2.6km or for 26 minutes. You could do the same in your home or garden, go up and down the stairs 26 times, juggle for 2.6 minutes, do a 26-minute exercise class or get 26 people on a video call and do a 26-minute workout – anything you like. We want people to get active, have fun and raise money to help save the UK’s charities by giving money or raising funds for the charity close to your heart.’
The mass-participation events organisers behind the 2.6 Challenge, include: Human Race, parkrun, The Great Run Company, Run 4 Wales, Grounded Events, London Landmarks, Virgin Sport, Limelight Sports, Threshold Sports, Running High and London Marathon Events.
The campaign is supported by the Charities Aid Foundation, the Institute of Fundraising, the Small Charities Coalition, the Office for Civil Society, Sport England, Let’s Do This, Virgin Money Giving and JustGiving.
We know that thousands of colleagues are eager to do their bit during these difficult times. If you would like to donate or fundraise on behalf of a charity of your choice, including our charity partner, Action for Children, this is a great way of doing exactly that. Click here for more information.
