The 2.6 Challenge raises over £5m on opening day
Melanie May | 27 April 2020 | News
The 2.6 Challenge raised over £5 million on its opening day yesterday (26 April) – the day this year’s London Marathon was due to have taken place.
The challenge event was launched earlier this month by mass participation event organisers including parkrun, London Landmarks, Virgin Sport and London Marathon Events to support the charities that would have benefitted from the London Marathon (currently postponed until 4 October). It asks people to help their chosen charity by coming up with an activity based around the numbers 2.6 or 26 (the distance in miles of the Marathon) instead, and to fundraise or donate to Save the UK’s Charities via The 2.6 Challenge website.
Hugh Brasher, Co-Chair of Mass Participation Sports Organisers (MSO) group and Event Director of London Marathon Events, said:
“The response we have had to The 2.6 Challenge has been incredible. It has been so inspiring to see the nation come together – from superstar celebrities to young children – to help save the UK’s charities.
“The best of Great Britain’s society shines through whenever we have our backs to the wall. People have been in their houses now for over a month and I think many of us feel helpless. While we understand the necessity to stay at home to save the NHS, many of us want to do something additional to help those in greatest need and The 2.6 Challenge allows us to do that, to get active and to help save the UK’s charities. It’s important to say that Sunday 26 April was just the start of the campaign and we want to encourage people that haven’t already taken part to think of a challenge and give it a go.”
?One bonus update before we sign off for the night?
An extra special thank you to everyone who got stuck in to kick off the #TwoPointSixChallenge today, because we've just hit £5 MILLION!
And there's still plenty of time to get involved.
More here: https://t.co/vS50fWaiSP pic.twitter.com/3k2E6myvBV
— The #TwoPointSixChallenge (@LondonMarathon) April 26, 2020
Thousands of people took part yesterday and last night, funds raised had reached £5m, rising by this morning, 27 April, to almost £6m. Athletes, Olympians and Paralympians have joined fundraisers in participating, including Jonny Wilkinson, Richard Whitehead, Dame Kelly Holmes, and Mike Tindell, and the 26 Olympians Challenge.
Here we go #26OlympiansChallenge today! Watch the video live at 10am here https://t.co/pCkM1XADIy
26 Olympians
26 exercises
20 charities supported#twopointsixchallenge pic.twitter.com/1JmN2UW4uj— Keri-anne Payne (@KeriannePayne) April 26, 2020
[youtube height=”450″width=”800″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqIo7omus6g[/youtube]
Today for the @LondonMarathon #TwoPointForChallenge we did 26 laps of the house, 26 star jumps in 26 different outfits!! Our chosen charity is @Sarcoma_UK Get involved and help save UK charities! ???? pic.twitter.com/UXxQ3LF2uM
— Richard WhiteheadMBE (@Marathonchamp) April 26, 2020
Celebrities have been taking part too:
We would have been finishing the @LondonMarathon about now so…26 hill rolls instead!#TwoPointSixChallenge for @AlzResearchUK Donated 26 x 2.6 = 67.6 ?? pic.twitter.com/y7qale9pyo
— Dick and Dom (@dickndom) April 26, 2020
Wonderful Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith is using her #TwoPointSixChallenge to look after the amazing staff at her local care home and raise money for dementia research.
Sign up to your own challenge at https://t.co/uReExx2CIt pic.twitter.com/7BAxtb13Tv
— AlzheimersResearchUK ? (@AlzResearchUK) April 24, 2020
The 2.6 Challenge is also supported by sector bodies including Charities Aid Foundation, the Institute of Fundraising, the Small Charities Coalition, Sport England, sportscotland, Virgin Money Giving and JustGiving, and many others:
Good luck to everyone starting their #TwoPointSixChallenge today! ? ? ?
The millions that would have been raised for good causes from @LondonMarathon are needed more now than ever before #NeverMoreNeeded
Donate or create your own challenge: https://t.co/dNnthFxDKZ pic.twitter.com/sTya1IyE8C
— Institute of Fundraising (@IoFtweets) April 26, 2020
We're starting our #TwoPointSixChallenge riiiiiiight NOW ?
We're donating to ALL of our fellow fundraisers' 2.6 challenges because we just couldn't choose 26 from what you shared with us – you're all doing amazing things ?
Well done EVERYONE on a brilliant day ? https://t.co/nVno2tQ8ly
— Fundraising Everywhere (@FundEverywhere) April 26, 2020
More on the 2.6 Challenge
- 26 examples of 2.6 challenge fundraising events (27 April 2020)
- Mass participation event organisers unite for UK charities with the 2.6 Challenge (16 April 2020)
- Virtual fundraising ideas during the coronavirus lockdown (30 March 2020)
- More virtual fundraising ideas when you are stuck at home (22 April 2020)
218 total views, 17 views today
219 total views, 18 views today
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via www.thepurplepim.com.