And we did it again – Stripey Stork joined in with this huge community event and had a blast. We’d like to thank the Run Series team for choosing us to be the lead charity partner this year, and also for the added privilege of debuting their 5k race in celebration of our joint 5th birthdays. It was our best Run Reigate yet, with our amazing fundraising efforts coming in at over £13,000, which includes our runners’ sponsorship, collections on the day, as well as Run Reigate’s £5 contribution from the race fee of every 5k runner.

Our Orange Army of Runners

We had a whopping 86 runners on Team Stork this year. That’s 86 adults and children who gave up their time and energy for Stripey Stork. Some would have been running anyway, some were motivated to run because of our local cause. Whatever the reason, we thank you very much and give you a big pat on the back.

We’d especially like to thank some of our most loyal brand advocates who always get behind our cause. Our good friends at Grant Thornton International who not only support us with great events like Run Reigate, but are regular volunteers and a good sounding board with their impressive skill set.

Special shout-outs also go to Jess from Caterham WI, Jessica from Bailhache Linton and Jon from Celtic Contractors, you ran your socks off for us on the day, with a smile and a spring in your motivated step. The partnerships we have with this great bunch of people are mutually admirable and we want them to know how much we appreciate their dedication to our cause. Rest assured, all money raised will be put to good use in helping us reach more vulnerable, local families in desperate need, by passing on your preloved children’s items quickly and complementing them with new essential items.

Half marathon runners – Thank you Ugur, Karin, Sathish, Jessica, Jon, Matthew, Marie-Therese, Aimée, Chris, Beth and Hector.

10k runners – Thank you Alison, Des, Liz, Jackie, Sam, Sonja, Alison, Lisa, Laura, Jo, Robin and Claire.

5k runner – Thank you Abigail, Caroline Richardson, Caroline Stanghon, Donna Pariser, Sonya, Genia, Jess, Victoria, Paul, Eleanor, Stuart, Donna Palmer, Donna Frost, Liz, Charley, Roz, Lynn, Rosalind, Marie, Paul, Simon, Rebecca, Sarah Cape and Sarah Williams.

Kids race – Thank you Beatrice, Evan, Ruth, Scarlett, Isabella Brown, Liam, Dylan Burns, Hamish, Olivia Bhagwanbali, Lucas, Oliver, Olivia Woodrow, Bella, Dylan, Kai, Isabella Cape, Charlotte, Holly, Tilly, Harry, Lexi, Joshua, Matthew, Sophie Pariser, Joseph, Jack, Emilia, Sophie Dawes, Imogen, Nell, Cormac, Caitlyn, Elizabeth, Theo and Finlay.

Fundraisers – Thank you to those who raised funds but were unable to run on the day – Melissa, Charlotte, Andreaa, Veronice and Chris.

Our runners even caught the attention of the Surrey Mirror, not that they could really miss them!

A Flavour of the Day

Here’s the highlights of what we had going on throughout the day:

#RunStripeyRun Competition – Helped by a generous contribution from Grant Thornton International, we were able to set up a branded winner’s podium and backdrop. For this event we decided to use it for a social media photo competition to win a £250 Amazon voucher. Our prime spot near the finish line meant that people had lots of fun posing with their team, family and friends. We were so happy when our winner, who was selected at random, happened to be one of our runners and one that you just couldn’t miss. Sam West, here with her friend Jackie Wilson, was happy to say the least!

Stripey’s Stall – We had our bright, some may say glowing, orange gazebo in the Events Village. New for this year was our Stripey Stork face paint stencil by Ideal Stencils. It was super cute, super easy and it meant that everyone who wanted one could because they were super quick – you’ll be seeing these again too. The only issue was blue or orange?

We also had our little stork Caitlyn, stealing the show in her famous stork costume. Her and her friend had also been busy making bracelets to sell on the day at 50p each – so pretty and every penny going to Stripey Stork.

Massage Tent – Our volunteers were busy collecting suggested £5 donations per massage, and coordinating the queue of runners. It was a great opportunity to chat about what we do and the families we help. I have a feeling there’s going to be some empty lofts and garages as a result. Thank you Serenity Massage Therapy, Revolutionary Retreat, Peter Hudson, Zuzana Young, Redhill and Reigate Surrey Tissue Therapy, and Julie Simcock for donating your time and skills on the day.

Car Parks – We were allocated two car parks to manage on the day and collect £3 suggested donations, which is another great fundraising opportunity for us. Little did we know that the evening before we’d be allocated a bonus car park, giving us 350 parking spaces in total. Our dedicated team of volunteers stepped in and covered the additional load, where buckets were shaken and filled. Thank you to everyone who paid to park in one of our spaces.

‘Goody bag’ things happen to Good People

Each Team Stork runner had a Stripey Stork goody bag waiting for them on our stall to collect after the race. A big thanks to Nelsons for supplying the healthcare remedies to complement our treats. They were very well received – some saying it was the most useful and thought-out race reward they had ever received.

In each bag was also a personalised certificate from Stripey, each name beautifully calligraphed by Sam Chapman – thank you Sam!

And not Forgetting Our Orange Army of Volunteers

We couldn’t put on this show if it wasn’t for the backbone of Stripey Stork. Some were there from Saturday afternoon setting up, some set their alarm clocks before sunrise on Sunday and some were there until the end dismantling after all the ‘fun of the fair’ had finished. It was hard work but great fun and we all agreed was absolutely worth it. Thank you for everything you do:

Lauren (special thanks for organising our army), Ann, Ben, Caitlyn, Charlotte, Donna, Emily, Emma, Graham, Jenny, Jill, Jo, Lisa Caley, Lisa Tye, Louise, Marie, Megan, Melanie, Nicola Bailhache, Nicola Dawes, Pat, Roz, Sara, Sarah Cape, Sarah Sproston and Susy.

And a Special Thanks…

In case we haven’t given you a shout-out already, here’s a special section just for you:

Redhill & Reigate Round Table No. 119 – A big thank you for your generosity in sponsoring this year’s kit. The kid’s orange baseball caps and adult’s running T-shirts were visible from all over Priory Park, which was exactly our intention – mission accomplished! www.rt119.org.uk.

Morrisons Solicitors – Thank you for kindly giving us some complimentary wrist bands for your Rest & Relaxation Zone. We gave the passes to our top four fundraisers to enjoy with their plus one. What a treat! www.morrlaw.com.

Crumbs Brewery – Thank you for quenching the thirst of so many runners. For each runner who flashed their medal, you gave them the option of discounting £1 off their beer or donating to Stripey Stork. www.crumbsbrewing.co.uk.

All Things Chic – Thank you for donating £5 to Stripey Stork for each customer who took part in Run Reigate. www.allthingschic.org.uk.

Until Next Year

We see that plans for Run Reigate 2019 are already underway. We hope to work with this fab team again next year – special thanks to Lisa, Karen, Jodie and Dave for all your support and hard work! We loved every minute of it and feel our collaboration goes from strength to strength, Team Stork forever!

The post Three cheers for Run Reigate 2018 appeared first on Stripey Stork.

We loved being part of Run Reigate this year and are grateful to everyone who made it so successful for Stripey Stork. We raised over £10k which is just amazing, and these valuable funds will allow us to develop our service and help even more local families in need.
We hope you enjoy this video featuring our friends at Grant Thornton International who took part. Great memories of a special day.
Thank you again #TeamStork!
(Video credit: Dom Balls Productions)

The post Our Run Reigate 2017 video appeared first on Stripey Stork.

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! 

The post A successful Run Reigate for Team Stork! appeared first on Stripey Stork.