Prudential RideLondon goes virtual, & other event news
Melanie May | 24 July 2020 | News
With many events going virtual for this year, here’s an update on some of those newly announced, as well as some updates on those that have taken place.
Prudential RideLondon goes virtual this August
The first ever virtual edition of Prudential RideLondon will take place on 15 and 16 August, replacing the original event and taking place the same weekend.
My Prudential RideLondon is free for riders of all ages and abilities and is based on the events included in the traditional Prudential RideLondon weekend.
It includes four challenges:
- My Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100: 100-mile ride
- My Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 46: 46-mile ride
- My Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 19: 19-mile ride
- My Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle: An event that allows participants to set their own challenge (starting from 1km) on the wheels of their choice
Participants need to register in advance and select their challenge at www.myridelondon.co.uk. They can then start fundraising for their chosen charity or charities.
Hugh Brasher, Event Director of Prudential RideLondon, said:
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“After the disappointment of the cancellation of Prudential RideLondon, we were determined to create something special for our riders, partners and the hundreds of charities that rely on the event for vital income.
“Charities desperately need help to continue to provide vital services to every sector of society and fund critical research. In this socially-distanced world, it’s also vitally important to encourage people to get on two wheels rather than use public transport. The My Prudential RideLondon campaign has been created to achieve both these aims.
CHUF Virtual Toddle raises over £21,000
Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF) launched its first ever Virtual Toddle, and thanks to match funding from Sir Graham Wylie Foundation, raised £21,346 to help continue its support to babies and children living with heart conditions all over the UK.
CHUF’s Virtual Toddle took place throughout June, replacing the annual Toddle event, which takes place at Close House. The Toddle is one of the charity’s biggest fundraisers which last year saw over 400 children and their families gathered for the one mile ‘Toddle’, raising over £25,000.
The Sir Graham Wylie Foundation supported CHUF’s Toddle last year and agreed to again sponsor the event this year. When COVID-19 stopped the physical event going ahead, the Foundation offered £10,000 to match donations raised by people taking part in the first ever Virtual Toddle.
All money raised from the Virtual Toddle will help CHUF fund the Children’s Heart Unit at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle and the charity’s work supporting babies and children living with heart conditions all over the UK.
Charlotte Campbell, Director of Fundraising and Operations at CHUF, said:
“We were really sad that our annual Toddle event couldn’t go ahead, but the support from families who have got involved with the Virtual Toddle has been overwhelming. Families have clocked up miles by walking, running, cycling and even bouncing, all whilst raising vital funds for CHUF.
“Thanks to the Sir Graham Wylie Foundation generously offering £10,000 in match funding, the initial £11,346 turned into £21,346. We are so grateful for their ongoing support.”
Reading homelessness charity makes annual Big Sleep Out virtual
Reading homelessness prevention charity, Launchpad is making its annual event, the Big Sleep Out, virtual this year. Taking place on World Homeless Day, Saturday 10 October, it will ask people to swap their bed for a sleeping bag in their garden, or a friend or family member’s garden, and join Team Launchpad on Facebook Live from 6pm.
The virtual event will include activities such as den building and cooking with the contents of a food bank parcel; hearing from Launchpad clients who have experienced homelessness; and listening to a bedtime story from a special guest before bedding down for the night under the stars.
Now in its 15th year, the Big Sleep Out has raised £250,000 to date to help prevent homelessness in Reading and in 2020, Launchpad is hoping the Big Sleep Out at home will raise a further £25,000 so the charity can continue its work.
Participants are being asked to raise £250 and have been provided with downloadable digital resources in the Big Sleep Out at home guide on the charity’s website – which includes printable posters, social media images and instructions on how to set up a JustGiving page.
Kate Martin, Fundraising Manager at Launchpad, said:
“We simply couldn’t let the pandemic ruin Launchpad’s Big Sleep Out – not only as it’s one of the most popular dates in our calendar, but also because it’s our biggest fundraising events of the year and enables us to continue our work preventing homelessness. Helping people in Reading avoid rough sleeping is more important now than ever before as we see the devastating impact the pandemic and subsequent lockdown has had on our community, with many at risk of becoming homeless due to postponed eviction, furlough, redundancy or illness. Our teams have already seen an increase in enquiries from people in need and this is likely to continue.”
Pass the Baton attracts over 1,000 runners from 31 countries across seven continents
Virtual global relay Pass the Baton has now raised over £6,000 for UNICEF, with over 1,000 runners taking place around the world to date.
The relay was set up in April by a small group of friends in Nottingham to raise money for the charity.
Over the last three months the event has grown exponentially and now attracts 1,200 runners from across the globe and has just had runners join from its seventh continent – Antarctica.
In the first week, participants ran an equal section of a 26.2 miles marathon route and passed the baton after each leg over a dedicated WhatsApp group. One week later the concept matured – 48 runners from across the globe, all completing 5.2km in 30 min slots, over a 24-hour period.
The initiative is now 12 weeks old and the Pass the Baton global community relay occurs every Sunday, with three groups of 48 runners completing 250km over 24 hours. During the week an online group of hundreds of runners between the ages of 6 and 55, from 31 countries, choose a 30-minute slot to run, then the relay starts on Saturday evening.
One of the founding members of Pass the Baton and finance director at Nottingham-based 200 Degrees Coffee, Stephen Fern, said:
“We have created a community of runners of all ages and abilities that encourage each other to do their best whilst sharing pictures, stories and encouragement online. The engagement never ceases to amaze us and every Sunday we watch how Pass the Baton provides a space for people to connect.”
[youtube height=”450″width=”800″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=222&v=PtZHxJ7X9Hg&feature=emb_logo[/youtube]
First Virtual Tour de France raises funds for five global charity partners
Zwift and Amaury Sport Organisation created the very first Virtual Tour de France and Virtual L’Etape du Tour de France this month. During the first three weekends of July 2020, men’s and women’s professional races were organised as part of virtual stages of the Tour de France, and non-professionals could take part in the Virtual L’Etape.
The race was held via Zwift and had six stages, awarding jerseys based on team efforts rather than to individuals. Riders included Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Egan Bernal, Marianne Vos and Chloe Dygert.
Part of Tour de France United, which raises money for cycling-focused charities, the Virtual Tour de France and Virtual L’Etape du Tour de France also raised funds for charity, donating to Emmaüs, Secours Populaire, Jeugdfonds Sport and Cultuur, BiJeWa and Qhubeka.
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 thepurplepim.com.