Events

SAVE THE UK’S CHARITIES

SEASHELL TRUST JOINS THE 2.6 CHALLENGE

Seashell Trust calls on supporters to join The 2.6 Challenge from Sunday 26 April

Seashell Trust, like so many charities across the UK, has been hugely impacted by the cancellation of thousands of fundraising events due to Covid-19.

In response, the organisers of the biggest mass participation sports events across the country have come together to create a new campaign to raise vital funds to help our fundraising and save the UK’s charities.

The campaign, The 2.6 Challenge, will launch on Sunday 26 April – what should have been the date of the 40th edition of the London Marathon, the world’s biggest one day annual fundraising event, which raised £66.4 million for charities in 2019.

From Sunday 26 April, we’re asking you to dream up an activity based around the numbers 2.6 or 26 and fundraise by creating a 2.6 Challenge fundraising page or donate to Seashell Trust on Virgin Money Giving.

The 2.6 Challenge is open to anyone of any age – the only requirement is that the activity must follow the Government guidelines on exercise and social distancing.

“The 2.6 Challenge can be anything that works for you,” says Nick Rusling, Co-Chair of the Mass Participation Sports Organisers group (MSO) and CEO of Human Race. “You can run or walk 2.6 miles, 2.6km or for 26 minutes. You could do the same in your home or garden, go up and down the stairs 26 times, juggle for 2.6 minutes, do a 26 minute exercise class or get 26 people on a video call and do a 26 minute workout – anything you like. We want people to get active, have fun and raise money to help Save the UK’s Charities by giving money or raising funds for the charity close to your heart.”

“For many of the UK’s charities, the day of the London Marathon is the biggest fundraising day of the year,” said Hugh Brasher, Co-Chair of MSO and Event Director of London Marathon Events. “One of the founding pillars of the London Marathon was ‘to show how the family of mankind can be united’. We hope that The 2.6 Challenge, which starts on the day our 40th Race should have taken place, will embody that spirit and inspire people, families and communities to fundraise for their chosen charity to help Save the UK’s Charities. Right now, our vulnerable members of society need the help of charities more than ever before. We are asking everyone to create a 2.6 Challenge of their own and raise funds or pledge a donation.”

We’re asking you to take part in an activity of your choice based around the numbers 2.6 or 26 and fundraise or donate to support Seashell Trust via Virgin Money Giving

People of all ages are taking on The 2.6 Challenge with a host of activities – from walking, running or cycling 2.6 miles, juggling for 2.6 minutes, to holding online workouts with 26 friends. The ideas and options are endless!

The only requirement is that you must follow Government guidelines on exercise and social distancing. Most people are taking part from Sunday 26 April but you can do your activity whenever is most convenient for you.

There are just five simple steps to take:
 

1.      Dream up your 2.6 challenge – if you need help there are lots of ideas here

2.      Head to twopointsixchallenge.co.uk to donate £26 – or whatever you can afford ­– to Seashell Trust or to set up a fundraising page

3.      Ask all your friends and family to sponsor you and challenge them to do their own 2.6 Challenge

4.      Complete your challenge

5.      Share a photo or video of your challenge on social media with #TwoPointSixChallenge

Here are some ideas:

• Walt Disney has won 26 Oscars, the most ever – families could have a Disney-a-thon and watch 26 Disney films over a weekend
• 26 is the atomic number of iron – why not complete an iron-a-thon by ironing every single item you own in the household including socks, undies even curtains?
• 26 is known as the ‘joke throw’ in darts and is reached by throwing 20, 5 & 1 – you could compete with the people in your house to throw the highest number of 26s in 2.6 hours
• There are 26 bones in the human foot – hop 2.6 miles
• There are 26 red cards and 26 black cards in a deck – card game marathon over 26 hours
• Play a games marathon over 26 hours
• Solve a Rubik’s Cube in 26 moves or fewer (however mixed up the cube is, any configuration can be solved in 26 moves or fewer)
• Quincy Jones has won 26 Grammys – have a 2.6 hour/26 hour dance-a-thon to his music
• There are 26 letters in the alphabet – try & come up with a sportsperson/musician etc for each letter
• Do 26 keepy-uppies
• Hold a handstand for 26 seconds
• Do 26 backflips
• Throw a ball between members of your family, without dropping it, for 2.6 hours
• See if you can stay silent & only communicate with your hands or other non verbal signals for 2.6 hours
• Cycle/walk 2.6 miles/kilometres every day until 26th April
• Read 26 books by 26th April (or 26 pages for younger readers)
• Send letters to 26 friends/loved ones
• Hit 26 holes-in-one on XBOX/PS golf game
• Learn the 26 letters of the alphabet in sign language and sign your name. Can you sign the alphabet in 26 seconds?
• Have a spring clean and sell 26 things on ebay for Seashell
• Get 26 people on zoom to learn a song or TikTok dance and then stream a live performance
• Create 26 rainbows to display at the front of your house
• Sit in a bath of beans for 26 mins
• Perform yoga for 2.6 hours
• Do 26 HIIT circuits in 2.6 days
• Give up chocolate for 26 days and donate the money you have saved
• Cycle 26 times round the Volcano or one of the other circuits on Zwift
• Learn 26 words in a foreign language.
• Find 26 things on a scavenger hunt
• Chip 26 golf balls into a bucket or something smaller to make it more of a challenge
• Complete 26 seat drops on a trampoline/do a family relay of bouncing for 2.6 hours

...or come up with your own challenge. The possibilities are endless!

The mass-participation events organisers behind The 2.6 Challenge are: Human Race, parkrun, The Great Run Company, Run 4 Wales, Grounded Events, London Landmarks, Virgin Sport, Limelight Sports, Threshold Sports, Running High and London Marathon Events. The design and website has been created by Studio Republic and the social media campaign by LiveWire Sport. Both agencies are working pro bono.

The campaign is supported by the Charities Aid Foundation, the Institute of Fundraising, the Small Charities Coalition, the Office for Civil Society, Sport England, Let’s Do This, Virgin Money Giving and JustGiving. For more information on The 2.6 Challenge, visit twopointsixchallenge.co.uk