insideKENT Magazine Issue 36 - March 2015 | Page 154

CHARITY THREE PEAKS, THREE LAKES AND AN 800-MILE BIKE RIDE As its tag line promises, it will HURT. The Hamstreet Ultimate Road Trip, or HURT as the group affectionately call it, will see a team of 14 challengers embark on the journey of a lifetime in a bid to raise funds for The Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance Trust's (KSSAAT). Starting on 4th July 2015 at the foot of Ben Nevis, the volunteers will climb the highest mountain in the British Isles at 1,344 metres, then cycle to Loch Lomond in order to swim across it. HELP ELLENORLIONS HOSPICES CELEBRATE 30TH BIRTHDAY WITH THIRTY30 CHALLENGE EllenorLions Hospices is marking 30 years of specialist hospice care for seriously ill children and adults by hosting a variety of Thirty30 challenges to help raise vital funds in 2015, its birthday year. Those looking for a healthy start to the year can pull on their running shoes for the Glow Night Run on 27th March. Fundraisers will light up Mote Park in Maidstone as they tackle this fun 5k route in their bright neon gear. As part of Thirty30, places are also up for grabs for the 100km walk London 2 Brighton Challenge on 23rd May; the charity’s group skydive day at Headcorn Airfield on 31st May; and the 100-mile cycle Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100 on 2nd August. Those looking for less mileage (or adrenalin) can enjoy an 8km sunset stroll at the charity’s annual Twilight Walk through Gravesend town centre on 18th September. To register for any of these events, call events manager, Hayley Brown, on 01322 626506. The Hurt Team From there (yes, there's more!), the dedicated team will cycle from Scotland down to Scafell Pike in Cumbria, where it will scale its 978 metres of mountain-ness! A leisurely cycle over Wrynose Pass and Hardknott Pass will follow, before the team arrives at Lake Windermere where, you guessed it, it will swim across. Onto Wales next, there is a small mountain called Snowdon (Yr Wyddf), which at 1,085 metres needs to be tackled. After crossing Bala Lake, the group will finally get back onto their bikes for the return to Hamstreet. Visit www.hamstreet3peakchallenge.co.uk for more details on the team, their progress – and of course, to donate! For more information on how you can get involved, visit www.ellenorlions.org or follow @EllenorLions or @chYpsCharity (the charity’s children’s hospice at home) on Twitter. /Hamstreet-Three-Peaks-Challenge @3Peaks3Lakes LOCAL MARKETING AGENCY MAKES A SPLASH FOR CHARITY Maidstone marketing agency, adams, is delighted to have helped Aspire raise over £400,000 for its Channel Swim Challenge in 2014. Aspire is a spinal cord injury charity and every year it holds a swimming event called The Aspire Channel Swim, which invites participants to cover the 22 miles of the Channel in their local pool over a 12-week period. Following a successful three-way pitch, the adams team was briefed in to roll out a relaunch campaign that encompassed all aspects of marketing including a fresh new website and PR, with the aim of attracting more swimmers than ever before. Following the fresh campaign, the adams team saw a 34% participant increase in 2014 and an increase in over 50% in monies raised in comparison to the 2013 result. Mike Adams, CEO, commented: “I am absolutely thrilled that we have helped the charity raise such a staggering amount of money following a very successful campaign relaunch. As we are a fully integrated agency, we were able to draw upon all aspects of marketing to ensure the campaign’s success, including a fantastic new creative underpinned by a robust PR strategy." If you would like to take part in this year's challenge or are looking to make a donation, visit www.aspirechannelswim.co.uk or call 0800 0370 880. Your support will make a huge difference to spinal injured people across the UK. Every eight hours someone is paralysed by a 154 spinal cord injury and is told that they may never walk again. Aspire exists because there is currently no cure. Aspire provides essential services such as accessible housing, grants, IT facilities and practical support and advice to help aid people from injury to independence. For more information, visit www.adamscreative.co.uk or www.aspirechannelswim.co.uk.