Charity

'Runvember' challenge returns this year in support of Swindon's homeless

By Jessica Durston - 9 November 2022

Charity

This month, Swindon people are running, walking, cycling or swimming every day as part of a fundraising campaign to help vulnerable individuals within the town.

The Runvember challenge started back in 2013.

The challenge was started by Alan Butler. During the first year of Runvember, the running challenge raised around £3,500 for FABLE (For a better life with Epilepsy). Alan chose this charity as his daughter suffers with epilepsy.

Over time, the Runvember charity challenge grew bigger and bigger, with more and more people signing up each year. Now, the charity challenge is in its tenth year, with 2017 seeing over 450 participants, and 2018 seeing over 500 people signing up.

This year, Runvember aims to raise money for charities within Swindon, including The Harbour Project, Swindon Food Collective and Threshold Housing Link.

The event hopes to provide food and provisions for 6,200 people in Swindon - 30% of these being children, and those who are now not fed by the hostels due to changes in how they operate.

Swindon Food Collective’s Mission is to reduce the impact of food poverty on people in crisis in the Swindon and district area. With help from the public, the Runvember team aim to make the festive season a little easier for people in crisis this year.

Details about all the challenge's events going on across Swindon (including the standard weekly runs, dress-up runs, and themed runs) can be found online at https://www.runvember.co.uk/events/

People can donate to the cause by paying a monetary donation or giving a shopping bag of specific items that are high in demand for homeless people in Swindon.

The list of items for the shopping bags is as follows: