The 40th London Marathon has been cancelled, along with thousands of fundraising events, leaving many charities worried about their income and future.
One of these is Holding On Letting Go which supports bereaved children and their families across Kent to hold onto precious memories and let go of the painful ones.
Coronavirus has seen a rise in referrals from families who have experienced a recent death and so fundraising is vital to make sure all families receive the help they can – currently being delivered via phone and video calls.
The Virgin Money London Marathon alone, which should have taken place on Sunday 26 April, is the world’s biggest one-day fundraising event, which raised more than £66.4 million for thousands of charities in 2019.
As it cannot take place as planned, its organisers have created a ‘lockdown-friendly event’ called The Two Point Six Challenge (#TwoPointSixChallenge) which is easy for anyone to join in and make a difference, especially for smaller local charities like ours.
The idea is that every small ‘event’ can add up to something worthwhile – and for us, it really does all add up.
HOLG, based in Rochester, are still able to deliver our services, albeit in different ways, but we have to keep trying to ensure some of our fundraising income comes in, so are looking for individuals and businesses to join in with a 2.6 or 26 themed event.
Get your friends ‘together’, your family, colleagues or neighbours and ask them to join in with a challenge with you or sponsor you for yours.
You might choose to run 2.6miles, do 260 jumps or jog for 26 minutes – whatever you’re doing it will be appreciated by HOLG and they’d like you to tag them on our social media so they can see what you’re doing.
Fundraising Officer Caroline Gaskin said: “It’s such a fantastic idea in response to the situation and we are looking forward to seeing some very imaginative and creative ideas!
“It’s all about what you can do rather than what you can’t, staying safe, at home and following the Covid guidelines.
“Have fun and thank you to everyone who is already involved and those who join us.”
The challenges will take place from Sunday 26th April for a week. You can enjoy your challenge in one day, different days or across the week – it’s up to you!
Caroline will be joining with her dance school United Dance Studios to do 26 dances in 26 minutes on Sunday.
Fundraising pages should be set up with either JustGiving or Virgin Money Giving – because donations will also be made to charities from a collective pot of money from the funds raised through the 2.6 Challenge.
For more information on The 2.6 Challenge, visit twopointsixchallenge.co.uk
