Valley Fest announces £50k fundraising milestone for Teenage Cancer Trust; plus more event news
Melanie May | 29 July 2024 | News
A round up of event news, from those yet to take place, including Walk to Remember and Walk 100K for Dementia UK, to news of funds raised for charities including Teenage Cancer Trust and Brian House Children’s Hospice.
Valley Fest festival celebrates 10th anniversary by announcing £50,000 fundraising milestone for Teenage Cancer Trust
Valley Fest was set up in 2014 by Luke Hasell in honour of his parents, who both died within a short time of each other, and takes place from 1-4 August in this its 10th anniversary year. Teenage Cancer Trust has been the festival’s official partner since 2018 and Valley Fest recently announced that it has raised £50,000 for the charity so far.
This year, Valley Fest aims to raise thousands more for the charity, and the organisers have pledged to donate £25 to Teenage Cancer Trust for every ticket sold when people book their tickets using the code TCTVF24. Valley Fest will see artists including Sister Sledge, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Tinie Tempah, The Feeling and The Skids play. It takes place alongside Chew Valley Lake with the Mendip Hills in the background and is 9 miles from Bristol and Bath.
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Charity launches fundraising cycle from London Zoo’s giraffes, to those at Chester Zoo
The Joshua Tree, a Cheshire and North Wales based charity dedicated to supporting the emotional well-being and mental health of families affected by childhood cancers, has unveiled an upcoming fundraising event – a 240-mile, multi-stage cycle ride from the giraffes at London Zoo to the giraffes at Chester Zoo to raise funds and awareness of the charity’s services.
To mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the cycling event is set to take place from September 13-15, 2024. The 14 riders taking part include beneficiaries of the charity, support riders and TV doctor Dr. Hussain Al-Zubaidi who will be joining the ride to help raise awareness of childhood cancers. The inspiration for the ride came from Olivia, the little sister of Harry, an 8-year-old from Cheshire who has been supported by The Joshua Tree.
Aspire celebrates 100th fundraising English Channel swim
Aspire, which supports people with a spinal cord injury, is celebrating its 100th relay swim across the Channel in August. The milestone swim will highlight the charity’s contributions to spinal cord injury support in the UK. Driving aids and vehicle adaptation company for people with disabilities, Mobility in Motion, is sponsoring this year’s boat to mark the milestone, saving Aspire £3,500 in costs.
One member of Aspire’s original Channel Relay team of 2009, Eleanor Reddington, will be joining Team Llama on the swim along with five others who have also previously swam the Channel in an Aspire relay team: Katy Bradfield, Robyn Carter, Marc Gledhill, Alice Stone and Paul Parrish, Aspire’s Director of Fundraising & Marketing. Eleanor has continued to support Aspire and last year swam 70 miles for her 70th birthday raising over £3,000 for Aspire. She is one of the charity’s biggest supporters, raising £20,000 over the last 20 years. Since 2009, the charity has guided 95 teams across the channel crossings, raising over £3.5 million.
Great Wilderness Challenge to raise funds for Highland Hospice & other charities
This year’s Great Wilderness Challenge takes place on 17 August in the Scottish Highland villages of Poolewe and Aultbea, and surrounding country estates, offering a number of walks and runs over a variety of distances and terrains.
The event fundraises for many different charities, with the Highland Hospice the main one. The Great Wilderness Challenge launched in 1986 and has donated more than £4 million to good causes in Scotland since then.
Alzheimer’s Support to raise funds with Walk to Remember this September
Wiltshire charity Alzheimer’s Support is holding its annual Walk to Remember fundraising event at Wilton House near Salisbury on 14 September. The challenge offers the choice of a five-mile circular walk or a one-mile course around Wilton House’s parkland.
After the walk there will be a medal and commemorative photo for every finisher. Post-walk celebrations include music, tea and cake and chance to relax with other walkers. Walkers also receive a Walk to Remember t-shirt. Registration is £15 for adults and £5 for children aged 11 to 16, while children under 11 walk free. More than 200 people took part last year, raising over £10,000.
Annual memorial golf day raises £3,000 for Brian House
An annual golf day in memory of local man Paul Andrew has raised £3,000 for Brian House Children’s Hospice. The Paul Andrew Open took place in June at Poulton Golf Club, and organisers have hailed it as their most successful in 15 years.
Dan Wootton, who has been organising the event since 2009, said the event was an annual memorial day to bring Paul’s friends together after he died in 2008 at 24. Since 2018 the event has also been an opportunity to raise money for Brian House Children’s Hospice, and to date has raised over £7,000 for the charity. This year’s golf day was the biggest ever turn out with 29 golfers taking part in the competition, which was followed by a presentation, raffle and charity auction.
Dementia UK asks people to join its Walk 100k challenge
The Walk 100k for Dementia UK challenges people to cover the distance over the course of August and fundraise to support families facing dementia.
Those who sign up and set up a JustGiving page get a t-shirt, and people can walk wherever and whenever they like. Once someone has completed the challenge, they will be sent a virtual medal and certificate as a thank you.
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.