John Baron MP with the other Fun Walk Trustees Sandra Bastow, Christine Brewster and Sylvia Kent and Jim Shrubb Town Crier

Fun Walk exceeds £1.5 million raised since inception

At a special celebration evening last week attended by many local charities and community groups, John Baron MP, shared that with the 2023 annual walk, the Fun Walk has now reached a phenomenal milestone, as the total raised since it was founded in 2002 has now exceeded £1.5 million.

This year’s Fun Walk raised over £85,000 with an estimated 2,000 supporters taking part in sponsored walks across Essex. The funds will be used for a wide variety of local charities and good causes including those supporting young people, mental health, disability, environmental, educational, community sporting and advocacy groups.

John Baron MP and Chair of the Fun Walk Trustees said:

“I’d like to congratulate all of the Fun Walk participants who have taken the time to fundraise for their local charities and community groups. £1.5 million is a huge achievement and we are so pleased and proud to have reached this milestone.

“We couldn’t have done this without the generous support of local businesses, whose donations this year allowed us to pay a 40% bonus over and above the money each organisation raised themselves. Our 2023 sponsors include Swan Housing, IFE Global Logistics, Greater Anglia, Reactive Integrated Services, Anisha Grange Care Home, Butyl Products Group, Tunnelcraft, Mr Barrie Stone and others.”

SNAP Fundraising Assistant Fiona Townsend said:

“Thank you so much for the bonus SNAP will be receiving from the Trust. It really is appreciated. We are already excited and looking forward to getting involved again next year.”

Sophie Ede, Chief Executive Officer Hearing Help said,

“Thank you so much for enabling us to organise this fundraising event – we had a great time completing the walk again this year, and are hugely grateful to you for the opportunity.“

BATIAS Advocacy Manager, Kate Knight said:

“Thank you to everyone at the Fun Walk that organises this event every year. It is such a valuable resource for some of the smallest charities.”

For more information, please visit the Fun Walk website: www.thefunwalktrust.co.uk

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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.

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). 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 in addition to the monies they themselves raise in sponsorship.

With the generous support of our Bonus Pot sponsors, in 2023 the Fun Walk Trust was able to provide a 40% bonus over and above the amount raised by participating organisations through their own sponsorship efforts, with the event raising over £85,00 for local charities and community groups. The amount raised in 2023 brings the total raised to £1,535,000 since the Fun Walk’s inception.

The Fun Walk Trust organises the walk and takes care of the paperwork, leaving the projects free to focus on raising sponsorship money and enjoying 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 switch to a virtual format, allowing supporters to walk the distance anytime during the selected month. This proved to be very successful and was continued for 2023.