Richmond Running Festival Raises £155,000 for charity

This included 16 partnered charities and two official charities: ‘Mo Farah Foundation’ and ‘The Poppy Factory’, both of which received 10% of all race entry fees in addition to their fundraising. Seven partnered charities were based in the borough of Richmond Upon Thames and collectively raised a total of £65,000.

 

Race Director, Tom Bedford, said “Our team are so happy to announce that our 2014 target has been broken in such a dramatic fashion! On the 6th September 2015, we hope to raise over £200,000 for our associated charities and get another personal best! Can I say a big thank you to all of the charities and volunteers involved in the event who work tirelessly to make the day a success. The whole community should be proud of this achievement!”

 

The money raised for The Poppy Factory will be used to support brave ex-Servicemen and women who find themselves with a medical barrier to employment. This support will help provide a bright future for disabled veterans and their families by part-funding a local Employability Consultant. Working with an average of 50 clients at one time, Poppy Factory Employability Consultants create bespoke career plans and help clients achieve their goals with CV preparation, job matching, vocational days, interview coaching and the identification of training needs. Once a role has been secured, Employability Consultants continue to provide formal support for both client and employer, which is often most relevant in the early stages of employment as a new job becomes reality.

 

Liz George, Head of Fundraising at the Poppy Factory said “The Poppy Factory was delighted to be an official charity partner for the Richmond Running Festival 2014. As a partner, The Poppy Factory received a total of £16,693.32 from the event via a combination of race registration donations and sponsorship raised by a team of 25 runners who entered the event itself.”

 

The donations made for the Mo Farah Foundation will be used to provide vital funds toward Mo Farah Foundation projects in Africa and the UK. Donations will be spent providing clean water to 2000 people in the remote area of Bulahar Village in Somalia as well as providing assistance to Mo Farah Foundation Academy Athlete Scholarship program that is helping nurture home grown talent and keeping the London 2012 legacy alive.

 

“Mo Farah Foundation would like to thank Richmond Running Festival for their generous support in 2014 in raising a total of £14,241.75, which will help us to continue our work and make a difference to the lives of millions.” - Kim Creamer, Head of Operations at the Mo Farah Foundation.

 

The 2015 Richmond Running Festival will be held on Sunday 6th September including the Kew Gardens 10k, Richmond half marathon and NIKE Kid’s mile. Entries for 2015 are still available but such is the demand that over half have already been sold.

 

For more information and details of how to enter the races, visit: http://www.richmondrunningfestival.com

 

For help with your training towards this event visit our Training and Advice section of the website. For training schedules to get you round a 10k or half marathon, visit runfurther and for schedules with time targets visit runfaster.