Western Morning News (Saturday)
Run like the wind to help farming charities...
You may not be able to physically meet, but you can be part of an online community
SHEENA HORNER
FARMING charities look set to benefit from a new fundraising fitness challenge. Launched earlier this year, #Run1000 is calling on people to sign up to be part of one of five teams – England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the rest of the world.
Taking place from January 1-31, the competition will see each team run 1,000 miles, with the nation that reaches the milestone first announced the winner.
A team captain will lead each nation, and a private Strava group will record the collective running distance. As well as helping personal
mental health and wellbeing, #Run1000 will raise awareness and funds for charities that have been impacted by the lack of fundraising events this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The £20 joining fee will be divided equally between five charities, selected by the team captains – the Farming Community Network (FCN), Embrace Farm, the Do More Agriculture Foundation, the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI) and DPJ Foundation. England team captain, Charles Anyan, believes now is an important time to support these charities. He said: “Mental health is a big problem in agriculture and these charities unite all our #Run1000 nations as they are at the forefront of the battle. They work tirelessly to pick us up when we fall. They do a remarkable job.” Sheena Horner, who founded the idea, added: “I got back into running at the beginning of 2020 by participating in my local ParkRun. When lockdown prevent the local community from meeting weekly, I started running on my own but I quickly realised, that, for me, ParkRun was not just about my fitness, but also the social interaction with others.
“It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, we have all faced challenges with the pandemic and for many this has had a significant impact on our mental health. We wanted to demonstrate through #Run1000 that we are all facing this together and that you may not be able to physically meet, but you can be part of an online community.”
She continued: “The challenge is open to anyone that would like to get involved, whether you run two miles or 20m every contribution is invaluable to helping support our chosen charities. Our captains are all quite competitive, so I am looking forward to some fun rivalry during throughout the month.” To take part, please visit www.agri5nations.com, click on your team and make your £20 contribution. The team captain will be in touch with joining details.