Winchester Churches Nightshelter is proud to be part of The 2.6 Challenge. This nationwide fundraising campaign has been created to help save the UK’s charities.
The Covid-19 pandemic is having a catastrophic effect on UK charities leading to an estimated loss of £4 billion for the sector. Charities rely on income from fundraising events but many of these have now been cancelled or postponed. For many charities, Sunday 26th April, would have been the biggest fundraising day of the year thanks to the London Marathon which raised £66.4 million for charities in 2019.
As the marathon is no longer happening due to the pandemic, the UK’s mass participation sports event industry has come together to create The 2.6 Challenge, a nationwide fundraising campaign to Save the UK’s Charities.
What is The 2.6 Challenge?
People across the UK are being invited to dream up an activity based around the numbers 2.6 or 26 and fundraise or donate to their chosen charity. We would love you to take part and choose to support the Nightshelter. We are facing increased costs as we are now open for all residents 24 hours a day so any help we can receive is hugely appreciated. I think we all agree, that now is not a time to be homeless and that our services are therefore more vital than ever.
How do I get involved in The 2.6 Challenge?
Dream up an activity based around the number 2.6 or 26 that suits your skills (and follows government guidelines on exercise and social distancing); it can be as crazy as you like! The Challenge launches on the 26th April and you have a week to achieve your challenge, it may take longer than a day depending what you decide to do.
Once you have set yourself a challenge, head over to Just Giving or Virgin Money Giving and set up your fundraising page if you plan to collect sponsorship from supporters. Alternatively you may just choose to donate £26, or any amount you can, to the Nightshelter to mark your challenge.
Complete your challenge, take a video or photo of you doing the challenge and share on social media with #TwoPointSixChallenge and tag the Nightshelter.
Some ideas for The 2.6 Challenge
Run or walk 2.6 miles (or km) – or for 26 minutes
Exercise at home for 26 minutes (or 2.6 minutes)
Do 26 press ups
Walk up and down the stairs 26 times
26 minutes of star jumps
Walk around your house 26 times
Do a handstand for 2.6 minutes
Score 26 goals