RESOURCES FOR RACE DIRECTORS

Runners Raise Record Half a Billion Pounds for Charity

The Virgin London Marathon is very pleased to announce that a record figure of over £50.6 million pounds was raised for charity by runners in this year’s event held on Sunday, April 25th 2010 with £8.2 million of this figure raised through Virgin Money Giving. This brings the total amount raised for charity by runners since the race began back in 1981, to a grand total of more than £506 million. 

This April saw the first London Marathon sponsored by Virgin, with record finisher figures of 36,550 (24,423 men and 12,127 women) in an event considered by most to be the worlds best marathon, and which continues to be the largest annual fundraising event in the world.  A total of 783,185 runners have now completed the London Marathon since it started back in 1981. 

Race Director, David Bedford said ‘There is no other marathon or annual fundraising event in the world that comes close to the Virgin London Marathon, and we are of course very proud to announce this amazing amount, and immensely proud of our record as a charity fund raising event. Running for charity is a key aspect of the Virgin London Marathon, with runners taking part in the marathon in support of thousands of different charitable causes. It’s not only the runners themselves who add colour and excitement to the event, it’s the charity support teams themselves who do so much to make the day as successful as it is’.

The 2011 Virgin London Marathon

The 2011 Virgin London Marathon will take place on Sunday April 17th 2011 and the official charity of the 2011 London Marathon will be Oxfam.

www.virginlondonmarathon.com
www.virginmoneygiving.com

For more information please contact ; The Virgin London Marathon Press Office
Nicola Okey 0207 902 0182 / 07799 661345  

The London Marathon Charitable Trust 

The London Marathon Charitable Trust, a registered charity number 283813, was created in 1981, the inaugural year of the London Marathon, to meet one of the six objectives set by Chris Brasher and John Disley, the race founders: “to raise money for the provision of recreational facilities in London.” 

Since then, the Trust’s objects, which are “to provide or assist in the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation”, have been widened to enable grants to be made for projects in any area where the London Marathon Limited stages an event. 

The London Marathon Ltd is the operating subsidiary of the London Marathon Charitable Trust. Every year the surplus from the company is transferred under Gift Aid to the Trust and the trustees award grants to further its objectives. In 2009, it allocated grants of more than £5 million from the record surplus made by the London Marathon Ltd. This brings the total grants made by the Trust to date to more than £35 million aiding more than 850 projects. 

This year 59 projects across 29 London Boroughs have been allocated grants of between £750 and £250,000. The largest award was made towards the construction of a new sports hall in Redbridge while £750 paid for a short mat bowling carpet in Bromley. 

Other large grants included: £150,000 to Enfield Council to help bring the Queen Elizabeth II stadium back into use; £150,000 for new changing rooms at Abbey Road Rec in Merton; £100,000 to Newham 6th Form College for a floodlit multi-use games area; and £125,000 to refurbish two children’s playgrounds in Richmond Park. 

Numerous smaller grants were also made, such as £8,000 for new apparatus at Heathrow Gymnastics Club in Hounslow; £13,000 to install an artificial bowls surface with disabled access in Southwark Park; £9,000 for an artificial cricket wicket in Bexley; and £65,000 for a climbing wall for disabled and special needs residents at Mellish estate in Greenwich. 

In addition, the Trust has set aside a further £500,000 towards its commitment to community legacy facilities after the London 2012 Olympics. It has also added £1.15 million to its designated fund for the preservation of playing fields. 

Most recently, the Trust has confirmed an award of £700,000 to Camden Community Football and Sports Association to buy Chase Lodge playing fields from the London Borough of Camden. The new facilities will include a new clubhouse, gym and full-sized football pitches. This will bring to six the number of playing fields saved for sport and recreation by the London Marathon in the last eight years. 

The Trust has also agreed to contribute £500,000 to the redevelopment of Hackney Marshes, the ‘home of grassroots football’. Plans for the east London site include new sports pavilions and changing facilities, upgraded football pitches, and new rugby, cricket and mini-soccer pitches.