An important part of the races we organise is our ability to support charities and local causes. Via Green Belt Relay, Wedding Day, River Relay and the Cabbage Patch 10 we make donations from race entries and other fundraising activity. However with all four events cancelled in 2020 we have been unable to do this, at the same time as the charity sector needed support more than ever.

So we are extremely grateful to Straggler members and the wider running community who have taken part in our virtual races and in doing so been extremely generous in their support of our nominated causes.

In July to support the Vineyards Community in Richmond, we replaced the Wedding Day with the Secret 7k. Runners were invited to complete a 7KM distance of their choice and either make a donation or collect sponsorship, with 159 participants taking part and £1642 raised.

According to the Vineyard Community the number of people needing emergency food parcels increased dramatically with the impact of Coronavirus and the restrictions which were introduced as part of the strategy to contain it. Back in the summer they told us they were anticipating a challenging winter ahead.

During the (first) lockdown, The Minis, Juniors, Parents and organisers of the Stragglers and Ranelagh Junior Running Group (Junior Handicap) undertook the 1000 Mile Challenge to raise money for the Princess Alice Hospice. Not content with this, they also took part in the 2.6 Challenge, the nationwide fundraising initiative on London Marathon day in April. Their efforts raised £879.60 and you can read more about how this money will be used here.

In 2019 entries to the Cabbage Patch 10 raised £10,000. To keep the spirit alive in 2020 and support the race charities Clarendon School and MDS UK Patient Support Group, we encouraged participants to complete the distance on a course of their choice. 160 people took part, with donations totalling £2,030 to be split between the two charities.

Hampton’s Clarendon is a day academy for pupils aged 4-16 with moderate learning difficulties and additional complex needs including Autism. MDS stands for Myelodysplastic Syndromes, a group of malignant blood disorders in which the bone marrow fails to produce healthy blood cells.

As well as our club organised events, many Stragglers have taken on fundraising challenges of their own. This month a team of Stragglers completed a 20 hour relay in support of the campaign Feed Our Richmond Kids. FORK brought together organisations in the borough of Richmond, including the Vineyards, to raise money to fund meals for children aged under 5 years old who usually receive free school meals. As the 20-hour relay supported a wider fundraising campaign it’s difficult to say how much this event raised, although we believe it was more than £4000.

If you have been able to support any of these, thank you.