From marathons to bracelet sales, the local community and city of Southampton got behind The 2.6 Challenge to raise more than £18,000 for two good causes.
More than 15 groups or individuals took up The 2.6 Challenge for the cause, a national campaign that looked to support charities across the country in this difficult time.
Sunday, 26th April was due to be a special date for runners, with the London Marathon scheduled for that date this year. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the race was postponed.
Two intrepid runners took on the 26.2-mile challenge for our community over the weekend, in albeit different circumstances.
Franny Benali, the former Southampton FC defender, ran the distance from his garden – on a treadmill – raising more than £14,000 for our cause and NHS Charities Together. The funds will be split 50/50 to help on a local and national level.
Not to be outdone, our very own staff member, Gareth Byres, also took on the challenge. He completed his marathon in a time of three hours and 42 minutes, raising more than £650 for Saints Foundation.
It wasn’t just Gareth from Saints Foundation who got involved. Other staff members also performed 2.6-related activities including 26 consecutive double skips and shaving heads in under three minutes.
Outside of Saints Foundation, the Southampton FC Women’s playing and coaching staff were amongst those raising money on Sunday.
Through a variety of activities including rowing, running and cycling, they managed to raise more than £750 for our cause.
Our friends at Bullet Media also got into the charitable spirit. Friendship bracelets were made by the younger members of the group and sold both online and to neighbours around their local area with more than £650 raised.
Elsewhere there was a dance-a-thon from Vivid Dance Company, a step challenge from Simon Goodey whilst working for the NHS and a bake-a-long with Kenzie Benali on Instagram.
There were plenty of other challenges too, and the final total was just as staggering. We are so grateful for everyone’s efforts. Together they have enabled us to continue our work in the community, supporting those who need it most during this unprecedented time.
To support us further head to our Virgin Money Giving page and donate what you can.
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