Thousands of walkers took part in the Fun Walk last month, raising vital funds for charities and local community groups.
70 groups registered and an estimated 2,170 participants plus a few four-legged friends were due to take part this year. It is hoped they will have raised over £70,000, with the charities accountants due to confirm this month.
Walkers gathered together in groups and completed their 5k all over Essex and beyond. Many of the teams sent in photos of their walk and so we can share a selection of the photographs here, with lots more photos on The Fun Walk Trust’s website www.thefunwalktrust.co.uk
The Fun Walk, organised by Basildon, Billericay and Wickford CVS on behalf of The Fun Walk Trust, is normally held at Barleylands Farm but was changed to a virtual event in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Fun Walk has raised over £1.3 Million since it was started in 2002.
John Baron MP, Chair of The Fun Walk Trustees, said
“It was lovely to see these photos of some of the 2,000 local people who responded to this year’s invitation to walk, jog or run 5k for their chosen charity. It is truly inspiring and makes us all proud of what together we have achieved through this event. Once again, our thanks go to Sandra and BBW CVS.”
“We also remain grateful for the amazing support from local businesses, who so far have contributed over £26,000 to our Bonus Pot, which will be added to the amount raised by the charities and good causes. This year’s sponsors include Greater Anglia, Brown & Carroll, Tunnelcraft, Anisha Grange Care Home, Butyl Products Group, IFE Global Logistics, McDonald’s Restaurants Basildon, Mr Barrie Stone and others. It’s been a great team effort.”
About the Fun Walk:
John Baron MP and his team started the Fun Walk in 2002 to commemorate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and raised £6,000 for six charities and projects. The event became an annual one and continues to grow – the amount raised in 2021 brings the total raised to £1,362,000 since the Fun Walk’s inception.
To assist with its growth, in 2013 the Fun Walk became a registered Charity and it is now officially known as The Fun Walk Trust (Registered Charity number: 1151626) and in 2019 Basildon Billericay and Wickford CVS was appointed to administer the event on behalf of the Trustees.
John continues his role with the charity as Chair of the Trustees and by soliciting support and sponsorship from local businesses. The BONUS POT is a unique feature of the event, into which local businesses and individuals kindly donate and which is then distributed to participating organisations on a pro rata basis and in addition to the monies they themselves raise in sponsorship. In 2021, it added 30% to the amount raised by participants.
The Fun Walk Trust organises the walk and takes care of the paperwork, leaving the projects free to focus on raising sponsorship money and enjoy the event. The event is not confined to charities, any good cause or project may join us once approved by the Trust. For example, many pre-schools and schools, churches and community groups now regularly participate.
In 2020, given the challenges presented by COVID-19 and the recognition that our local charities and good causes needed our help more than ever, the decision was made to hold a virtual event, allowing supporters to walk the distance anytime during the month. This proved to be very successful and so the virtual format was repeated in 2021, and will be continued in 2022.