Sunday 17th September and the scene was set in Reigate’s beautiful Priory Park for a very special day. Thousands of runners and their supporters gathered from early in the morning to take part in the Intersport Run Reigate half marathon, 10k, wheelchair race and the kids races.
Stripey Stork were honoured to be a charity partner this year, and in true Team Stork style we wanted to make sure our involvement was enjoyable and rewarding for all involved. We set ourselves an ambitious fundraising target and also set the objective of raising our profile in the local area.
Our call for runners to join ‘Team Stork’ was met enthusiastically, and we brought together a fantastic group of 66 adults and kids who all wanted to show their support for the work we do. Amongst this group were trustees, volunteers, supporters but also a number of the referral partners who use our service. It was humbling to know that they appreciate and support the work we do to the extent that they were willing to pull on their trainers and get out and run for us! A special mention also to the team from Grant Thornton International, one of the corporate partners who support us across the year. They set themselves a team target and it was great to see them all together at the Park on Sunday.
We were allocated one of the car parks near the Park and could raise additional funds by taking donations. Thanks to the 190 drivers who parked there and the volunteers who manned it – it gave a very valuable boost to the fundraising total!
For those who wanted to celebrate their achievements then The Bell in Reigate was the place to go afterwards. A donated barrel of beer from Greene King was sold on our behalf and the amber lager from Crumbs Brewery was also available with proceeds coming to Stripey Stork – cheers!
‘Turning Reigate orange and turquoise’
We set ourselves an objective of ‘being noticed’ and used our charity colours to full effect. The adult runners donned bright orange t-shirts and the kids had orange caps to go with their Run Reigate t-shirts. We had a bright orange stand in the Event Village, and our banners and flags were visible across the Park.
- Thank you to Gatwick Airport Community Trust for awarding us a grant that covered the cost of the banners, flags and promotional materials we needed for the event. We had a 20m long banner along the ‘avenue of trees’ in Priory Park which all the runners passed as they made their way to the finish line!
All these items can now also be used at future events and continue to help us raise awareness of the work we do. - We may be biased, but we think our logo and designs always stand out. That is all thanks to the talented Shona Gow who once again did a great job with this project.
- Jenny and Sam put together some colourful and creative props which were perfect for the photo booth we set up at our stall.
- The ‘Stork Snaps’ taken at the photo booth were very popular and it was all made possible due to the support of our friends at Canon UK who not only provided the printer and photo paper but also the friendly cameraman Tim!
- We had great volunteer support from the students and staff at East Surrey College. They got out and about in the park handing out our balloons and leaflets, and encouraging people to visit us in the Event Village.
Our amazing #TeamStork runners
What an amazing bunch! From organising group training sessions before the event at Battlebridge Race Track to sharing ideas of how to make the costumes even more noticeable, this group could not have been more enthusiastic.
Half marathon runners – thank you Paul, Jo, Marie-Therese, Matty, Ellen, Mike, Matthew and Matt.
10k runners – thank you Sam, Marie, Bunmi, Sarah, Cristina, Paul, Francesca, Simon, Ali, Katie, Chris, Paula, Simon, Sophie, Sam, Jackie, Ed, Lois, Liz, Chris and Rob.
Kids race – thank you Cormac, Nell, Luke, William, Theo, Finlay, Jacob, Joshua, Sophie, Joe, Caitlyn, Jemima, Indigo, Quinn, Maisie, Poppy, Oliver, Anwen, Lucas, Bobbi, Lily, Callie, Codey, Scarlett, Holly, Isabella, Harry, Tilly, Oscar, George, Katie, Joseph, Lottie, Evan, Eva, Harry and Emilia.
We are so proud of you all. A nasty tumble at the start could not even deter runner Lois who carried on and completed the race after some first aid support – what a hero! The little Stork on her bum belt needed a clean up afterwards though!
And a special mention for 7 year old Caitlyn who completed the race in a giant Stork costume!
We showed our appreciation for the runners with a thank you ‘goody bag’. Our thanks to Nelsons and InKind Direct for helping with the contents.
Mixing with running royalty
The event is supported by none other than double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes. She starts the races, takes part in the run and is also so enthusiastic about high-fiving and cheering everyone home. She came to meet our runners after their races and was so generous spending time chatting to everyone and posing for photos. How inspiring for our younger generation of runners!
Success for Team Stork!
And the overall result? Well so many of the runners and volunteers told us how much they’d enjoyed being part of the day which is exactly the feedback we were hoping for.
And we certainly got noticed! We lost track of the people who told us they’d seen our runners on the route, and we even had a few people visit the stall and say “I keep seeing your t-shirts and caps everywhere so have come to find out who you are”. We couldn’t ask for a better result!
We’d also set an ambitious fundraising target of £10k and we’re delighted to say we achieved it! Yay for Team Stork!! There were so many amazing charities raising money on Sunday and we really appreciate everyone who chose to support us. The money is still coming in, and we’re delighted with the amount that everyone has raised.
These funds will allow us to continue the work we do helping vulnerable local families. We can hold more giving sessions at our office and start to extend the reach of the area we cover across Surrey.
In essence it means we can get more of your generous donations directly to those who need them most.
A huge thank you to Lisa who managed the Run Reigate project so capably and to Nicola, Liesel, Simon, Rob, Ed, Sam, Jill, Sara, Lucy, Margarida, Jenny and Frank who helped on the day.
The Run Reigate team were great to work with and they should be so proud of this special event that they have created. Special thanks to Dave, Karen, Iona and Nicola for being so supportive and helpful.
We had an amazing day and are already looking forward to Run Reigate 2018!
Three cheers for #TeamStork!
