# Virgin to be next London Marathon sponsor

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2008/05/19/virgin-be-next-london-marathon-sponsor/
- Published: 2008-05-19T10:24:26+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Virgin has signed a five-year £17 million deal to be the official sponsor of the
London Marathon. It will take over from current sponsors Flora in 2010.**

Virgin Money, the financial services division of the Virgin Group, will lead the
sponsorship and is committed to encouraging the fundraising element of the event
to help “the runners in their attempts to raise even greater amounts of money for
good causes across the five-year deal”.

Virgin Founder Sir Richard Branson said: “It’s the single biggest fundraising day
on the planet and we want to make it even bigger, our aim is to help runners smash
the £1/4 billion [fundraising milestone] in five years”.

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Virgin Money will use the expertise and network of Virgin Unite, the group’s not-
for-profit entrepreneurial foundation. This will include an official partnership
in the first year with Virgin Unite Valued Partner CLIC Sargent, the children’s 
cancer charity.

The partnership will launch a new website on 26 April 2009 “to bring together the
marathon community in one place – not just runners, but their supporters and spectators
too”. People will be able use the site “to enter the race, find someone to train
with, watch celebrities training, download music play lists for different training
plans and much more”.

www.virginlondonmarathon.com

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