This year’s Fun Walk saw 90 local charities and community groups registered and an estimated 3,000 supporters take part in sponsored walks across Essex. The participating organisations are currently collecting their sponsorship money, and the Fun Walk team is set for a ‘grand reveal’ of the amount raised at their Celebration Evening on November 29th.
The Fun Walk Trust helps charities, local schools and churches, grass roots sports teams and other community groups raise funds for their projects and initiatives, and a Bonus Pot sponsored by local businesses tops up the amount each organisation raises themselves.
John Baron, Chair of the Fun Walk Trustees, said:
“This year’s event looks as if it will be even more successful than last year, and we are delighted so many charities and good causes will be able to use the Fun Walk to boost their fundraising efforts.”
“The photos we received of the various sponsored walks completed around Essex have been wonderful and we are happy to share some of the highlights. To see more photos and learn about the Fun Walk, please visit our website: www.thefunwalktrust.co.uk”
“We could not hold this event without the generous support of local businesses who sponsor the Bonus Pot. They include Greater Anglia, Sanctuary Housing Association, Brown & Carroll, Butyl Products Group, Tunnelcraft, IFE Global Logistics, Mr Barrie Stone and other individuals. Our thanks go to them all.”
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John Baron 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.
The 2023 event raised over £85,00 for local charities and community groups, and brought the total money raised since the Fun Walk’s inception to £1,535,000.
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 different format, allowing supporters the flexibility to walk the distance anytime during the selected month (and not all having to gather on a specific date). This proved to be very successful and will be continued for the foreseeable future.
