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Runners, Cyclists, have you just been told you’ve got a place?

Published February 8, 2013 Events 2 Comments
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Royal Parks Half / Great North Run / Ride London

A couple of big events have started announcing the results of their ballots, and congratulations if you’ve been successful. We’ve got everything you need covered to help you get started with your fundraising.

Royal Parks Foundation Half
Just as the leaves in the park turn a beautiful golden brown runners will be lining up at the start line. A fantastic half marathon and we’ll be there to support you on the day, as well as help you to your fundraising target.

Create your fundraising page

Not got a place? you cans till enter the Royal parks Half Marathon through one of their official charities.

Prudential Ride London

Brand new for 2013 and lining up to be as spectacular as the Virgin London Marathon, we’re really looking forward to the first Ride London events. And what’s more we’re the official fundraising partner for the event.

Create your fundraising page

Bupa Great North Run

The iconic half marathon in the north east of England is the worlds biggest, with over 56,000 taking to the start line.

Create your fundraising page

8 things we learnt at Meet the Experts

Published February 4, 2013 Events 2 Comments
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Meet the Experts

We’re not counting this one, but did you know that since the first year of the Virgin London Marathon £610 million has been raised for good causes!

Every year the London Marathon team host an event just for runners who got their place through a charity called ‘Meet the Experts’. And as the official fundraising partner to this event Virgin Money Giving always grasps this opportunity to host a stand and chat to as many runners as possible.

There were some great expert speakers on stage at the event each giving lots of useful advice, here are 8 things we learnt:

  1. Stats from the 2012 Virgin London Marathon – 37,542 runners registered, 37,225 started and 36,705 finished.
  2. How it all began – “To believe this story you must believe that the human race be one joyous family, working together, laughing together, achieving the impossible”. Vision of the London Marathon founders, 1979.
  3. The start time – it’s changed, the masses (that’s you and me) and elite men start at 10.00am instead of 9.45am.
  4. Practice your pose – your finish line photo is one of the most important pictures you’ll ever have, as you cross the line hold your arms in the air and smile, make it a good one.
  5. Listen to your body – when you’re marathon training it’s quite tough on your body but learn how to ‘read it’ and listen know what’s good and bad pain.
  6. Runners World Pacing Team – for the first time ever, the Runners World pacing team will be at all three London Marathon starts – red, green and blue – to help you achieve your goal finish time.
  7. Raising more money for charity – If you set a target on your fundraising page you could raise up to 60% more money.
  8. Social Media is key – promoting your page and keeping your ‘fans’ updated on your progress through Facebook and Twitter could help you raise more money.

Good luck to everyone taking part in the Virgin London Marathon 2013, if you went along to the event or have anymore useful tips to share get in touch.

Make Your Mark – the final winner

Published February 3, 2013 Competitions , Events 1 Comment
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MYMv2A huge congratulations to Tricia Bath from Maidstone – our final winner of the Make Your Mark competition held in 2012.

Tricia was fundraising for Homeless Charity Crisis, setting up a Virgin Money Giving page but also volunteering her time during Christmas.

“Crisis at Christmas is really popular. I didn’t register my interest quick enough in 2011, so last year I was determined and registered in November.”

Tricia was stationed at The Hub, a Crisis distribution centre in Bermondsey, south east London.

She spent the day distributing items to Crisis Skylight centres all over London as one of 33 volunteer drivers.

“I drove everything from small cars to large refrigeration vehicles.

“We were transporting all sorts – food, donated clothing, even massage tables people had loaned out for the cause so the charity clients could get a treatment if they wanted.

“The scheme is brilliant because over five days it gives the clients a thorough health check and access to a few luxuries, which is the sort of thing we take for granted. All in all it was really satisfying and I would recommend it to anyone. I’m going to register in September this year to make sure I can do it again this Christmas.

“I was absolutely amazed to hear that I’d won the donation from Virgin Money Giving, especially as I hadn’t even realised there was a prize draw happening!

It was Crisis that had suggested I fundraise through Virgin Money Giving, so I’m over the moon, and look forward to volunteering again next Christmas.”

Well done to Tricia – who received a £2,012 donation to her page.

A New Year, a new fundraising challenge

Published January 15, 2013 Events , Virgin Money Giving News Leave a Comment
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Start your 2013 challenge at virginmoneygiving.com
Now it’s 2013  lots of you will be head first into your New Year resolutions.

Had you thought about combining your New Year resolution with a fundraising challenge and raising money for your favourite charity?

If you’ve challenged yourself  to get fit why not sign up to an event like the Blenheim Triathlon, or London to Paris bike ride and  create a Virgin Money Giving page, and ask your friends and family to sponsor you.

There’s lots of organised events to choose from, 5k all the way up to Ultra Marathon’s.

Inspired by the Great British Bake off? Or received a fabulous recipe book for Christmas? Why not make more of your kitchen and take your cooking to a new level this year. You could hold a bake sale for your friends or at work, or host a Come Dine With Me challenge, charging your guests a donation to experience your culinary skills first hand.

Determined to try something a bit more daring – like white water rafting, abseiling or skydiving?

If your New Year resolution has got you fundraising let us know, we’d love to hear from you!

Festive fundraising

Published December 11, 2012 Events , Fundraising Tips 2 Comments
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SantaDashChristmas is fast approaching and we’ve seen lots of fundraisers take on festive fundraising.

If you’re looking to hold your own Christmas inspired fundraising event, or take part in a organised event but are struggling for ideas, we’ve put together a few suggestions.

Let us know what you’re getting up to.

  1. Take part in a Santa Dash: One of the most popular events for keen runners and fans of fancy dress is the Santa Dash. You can find details of your nearest run here.
  2. Christmas Cake Sale: Why not bake some mince pies and other festive goodies and take them into work. Your colleagues could leave a donation for each mince pie they munch on!
  3. Christmas donation. Instead of Christmas presents, you could ask your friends and family to donate to your favourite charity. Alternatively you could ask for donations instead of Christmas cards.
  4. Donate your time to help charity. Perhaps your charity is holding a volunteer day or you could help at the local old people’s home in setting up for Christmas. Some charities are also holding wrapping days.
  5. Boxing day dip. If you’re a keen swimmer and not afraid of the cold weather, lots of swimming clubs and lidos have Boxing Day dips. Check with your favourite charity, or local swimming centre to see if they have any Boxing Day dips or swims planned.

Don’t forget to send us details and pictures of your festive fundraising – and remember if you’re taking part in a fundraising event in December you could win a £2,012 donation to your chosen charity.

Looking for a place in the Virgin London Marathon

Published October 18, 2012 Events , Fundraising Tips 2 Comments
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By now most people will have received their ‘Congratulations’ or ‘Sorry’ Virgin London Marathon magazine.

If you got a place, don’t forget to set up your page early. You can get your page started here.

If you didn’t get a place – don’t worry. Plenty of charities will still have places open for runners keen to tackle the 26.2 miles. You can find out, and apply for the charity places here.

Most charities will have a minimum sponsorship they’d like their runners to reach. We’ve got plenty of fundraising tips on our site, but don’t forget to let us know your fundraising tips.

Best of luck.

Entering into a Wonderland for ‘Read for RNIB Day’

Published October 12, 2012 Events , Press Releases , Support for Charities Leave a Comment
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A three day literary wonderland will descend on the banks of the River Thames from 18 October, where some of the nation’s best-loved authors will transport families to a magical world of stories to mark Read for RNIB Day.

Decorated with imagery from Alice in Wonderland, the area will be divided into five sections, each designed for families to get stuck in, have fun and learn about Read for RNIB Day.

Starting with ‘falling’ through the rabbit hole just like Alice, guests will be able to sit in the enchanting Mad Hatter’s story corner and listen to well-known children’s tales or visit the forest of talking mushrooms to hear quotes from familiar novels. 

Authors and celebrities including TV presenter and children’s author Jason Bradbury, children’s author Sally Gardner, author of the Monstrous Maud books A. B. Saddlewick and CBBC presenter Ben Hanlin will be joining activities throughout the three days.

Actor Michael Sheen OBE has recorded quotes from well known children’s books which will be played at the event. He said: “Reading and stories are such an important part of childhood; they’re what inspired me to write. It’s terrible to think that some people are denied this because they can’t see.

“I heard about RNIB’s work and wanted to get involved in Read for RNIB Day. We hope to inspire and encourage people to read and get involved in the campaign which raises funds for services such as RNIB’s National Library Service which offers books in alternative formats to blind and partially sighted people.”

RNIB’s literary wonderland is free. Open 18-20 October 2012, 9-6pm. Cathedral Square, Hibernia Wharf, London Bridge, London SE1 9DA. For more information visit www.readforrnib.org.uk or call 0845 345 0054.

Exclusive kit bags for first 20,000 Virgin London Marathon fundraisers!

Published October 9, 2012 Competitions , Events 95 Comments
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If you’ve heard from the Virgin London Marathon that your place in next year’s race is confirmed, or have signed up for a place through a charity, we’ve got some exciting news for you!

As well as helping runners raise money for their favourite charities this year we’re doing a little something to help you, the runner. We’ve put together a little kit bag with a few essentials to get you started, and it’s free!

The first 20,000 runners to start fundraising with Virgin Money Giving will be sent an exclusive kit bag towards the end of October.

And we’re not leaving it there, we’ve got tips and support for you all the way to race day, and some fundraising total boosting competitions coming in the months ahead.

Did you know as the official fundraising website of the Virgin London Marathon, since we started in 2009, we’ve helped fundraisers collect over £145 million* – with £38.8 million from Marathon runners alone.In fact, in the last three years an additional £1.3 million has reached charities just by Virgin London Marathon runners fundraising through us instead of JustGiving** – because we’re 100% not-for-profit.

To get your name on the list for a free kit bag, just create your page and start your fundraising today. And if you’ve already started don’t worry, your name’s already on the list!

UPDATE 15/11

The first batch of kit bags have now been posted, let us know when you’ve got yours.

*Figure includes Gift Aid up to 26/09/12 **If the £38.8 million raised through Virgin Money Giving for the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Virgin London Marathon was raised through JustGiving instead, £1.3 million less would have reached charities. This is based on the Gift Aid reclaim rate for the Virgin London Marathon on Virgin Money Giving and the overall mix of payment types on Virgin Money Giving.

The Big Climb for The Big Change

Published September 27, 2012 Events 2 Comments
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In early September Richard, Sam and Holly Branson, accompanied by Princess Beatrice and other founders of Big Change took on Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe to launch their startup charity.

Big Change Charitable Trust has been set up by a group of friends to help identify and support projects that improve the lives of young people in the UK. It works in partnership with charitable initiatives that inspire and encourage young people to be the very best that they can be.

To raise money and launch their charity, the Big Change team took to the mountains to scale Mont Blanc: The Big Climb.

The Branson trio were joined by fellow Big Change founders Isabella Calthorpe (Sam’s fiancée), Sam Richardson, Phil Nevin and Princess Beatrice.

The team have worked together before and Big Change really began when they completed the 2010 Virgin London Marathon (breaking a Guinness World Record in the process) tied together as a giant caterpillar.

However, the Big Climb represented a completely different challenge. Mont Blanc rises 4,810m above sea level and the team were warned that only half of them were likely to make the summit. The team used the Big Change mantras to help them on their way: courage, determination, friendship and ambition and in the end seven out of the eight climbers successfully summitted. Sam Richardson had been battling with altitude sickness all week and despite his brave efforts on summit day, didn’t make it to the top.

On reaching the top Princess Beatrice said: “The summit was like a dream. It was so overwhelming I began to cry with joy for making it to this magical world at the top of Europe.”

Unfortunately the way down wasn’t quite as much fun, as she explained: “I was tired and the altitude bought my feelings to the surface. I broke down in tears and truly didn’t know if I was going to get down.

“I have never felt such joy and excitement or such a sense of achievement.”

There is still time to sponsor the team.

Introducing the Toad Challenge

Published September 19, 2012 Events Leave a Comment
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The Toad Challenge is a three day event, running or walking, where competitors complete a distance of 30 miles each day. It starts in Oxford on 21 September and ends in Walton on Thames on the 23 September.

The event is open to anyone from runners to walkers, and the mostly flat route follows the Thames Path National Trail, taking in historic towns Maidenhead and Henley along the way.

It’s the perfect event for anyone who wants a new challenge at an ultra distance, or an alternative to running marathons. But if Ultra Marathons like Marathon des Sables  are your thing, it could even be used as part of your preparation, or for everyone else its a great excuse to take in some of the beautiful English countryside along the Thames.

The Toad Challenge is now in its fourth year, and at Virgin Money Giving and we’re proud to be the official fundraising partner. The event is open to fundraising for any charity.

To find out more about the Toad Challenge, including full details of the route, visit their website or if you’re already signed up you can create your fundraising page here.

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Earlier at the Virgin Money Giving Mini Marathon start kaavmw 90b3nf 1qdxbi ^AS

Earlier at the Virgin Money Giving Mini Marathon start kaavmw 90b3nf 1qdxbi ^AS

Earlier at the Virgin Money Giving Mini Marathon start kaavmw 90b3nf 1qdxbi ^AS

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