To celebrate Refugee Week we’re calling on Chichester Half runners to join the ‘Run for Refugees’ team raising funds for Children on the Edge.

Children on the Edge is a local Chichester based charity that works to support forgotten children, living on the edge of their societies across the world. They provide protection, education and support to Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh and internally displaced children in in Kachin State, Myanmar. Since 2012 the Chichester Half Marathon has raised over £130,000 for Children on the Edge, so just by signing up you are supporting some of the world’s most vulnerable children.
 
Make a bigger impact

Could you join our Run for Refugees team and fundraise throughout your training? We only ask runners to aim for raising £100 each – so if 100 get fundraising you could together raise £10,000, making a huge difference to the lives of thousands of refugee children.

Who can get involved?

Anyone can get involved. Whether you’re taking part in the Half Marathon, the Ten Miler or the Half Marathon Relay, we want you to get involved.

Husband and wife duo Matt and Emily have already joined this year’s Run for Refugee team and set an impressive joint fundraising target of £300 for Children on the Edge. Emily (pictured left) said; “Children on the Edge help children who have been through terrible experiences. As a parent with children it’s just good to know that the money raised can help make a difference to families that aren’t as lucky as mine”.

Benefits of joining the Run for Refugees team:

• Motivation: Fundraising for Children on the Edge’s work with refugee children will definitely help keep you motivated and give you a positive mindset, even when you hit a wall.

 

• Keeping you focused: Training for any kind of race is difficult, especially if this is your first event. When it gets really hard it may seem tempting to give up and quit. Fundraising draws your friends and family to support you, making it almost impossible to give in with so many people encouraging you.  

 

• Making a difference: Fundraising makes a huge difference to so many refugee and displaced children. £100 can help provide for one school day for 100 Syrian refugee children in a tented school in a camp in Lebanon.

 

• Achieve more together: You’re part of a running community that’s doing something good through your hard work and training.

 
On the Run for Refugees team you will get the best support for the event and for your fundraising including:

• A free ‘Run for Refugees’ t-shirt for race day
• One-to-one support in your fundraising
• A cram-packed goody bag full of treats for after the race
• Access to the Run for Refugees VIP tent after the race, with snacks and a free massage.

Sign up here or email fundraising@childrenontheedge.org to join the team.  

Organised in conjunction with Everyone Active and sponsored by local companies Montezuma’s Chocolates and Store Property; the Chichester Half Marathon Event has raised an incredible £100,000 for Children on the Edge since 2012. Children on the Edge support some of the world’s most vulnerable children in countries including Uganda, Burma, Bangladesh and India. ​

This race is now in is sixth year and has grown in popularity year on year. It now attracts around 1000 runners. Often referred to as the ‘Chi half’, we offer three popular races; the Half Marathon, the Ten Miler and the Team Relay, all of which take runners through the tough multi-terrain course around Chichester city centre and over the beautiful South Downs.
 
This year, Children on the Edge want to raise £40 000 to support our work with refugee children; £8000 more than raised in 2016. To meet our ambitious target, we are calling for 1200 runners to take part and 100 fundraisers to commit to raise £100 each as part of the ‘Run for Refugees’ Team.
 
Children on the Edge Executive Director, Ben Wilkes said:
 
“The local support for the Chi Half event is incredible, including from many Chichester-based businesses, and we’re so grateful to our runners who return year on year. We want a record number of people to take part in 2017 to help us raise £40 000 for our work with vulnerable children abroad. With three distances on offer; we hope that even more people will be able to join us on Sunday 8th October.
 
Money raised through fundraising and by people taking part in our races supports Children on the Edge projects around the world, including in Lebanon; where they run four tent schools for Syrian refugee children. These schools are located in the Bekaa Valley, in small refugee camps that are not serviced by the larger aid agencies. The schools employ teachers trained from with the refugee community itself and offer high-quality education in a safe place for nearly 500 children who have fled war and violence. Costing just £1 per child per day, they also allow the children a chance to play and just be children again.
 
Fundraisers who raise the target of £100 can cover the costs of sending 100 Syrian refugee children to school for a day in Lebanon, so your money really does go a long way.

All our fundraisers will get VIP support on the day plus a Team t-shirt when they start fundraising.  

​Sign up to a race and join the Run for Refugees Team or contact Amy Rook, our Fundraising Officer: amyrook@childrenontheedge.org

If you'd like to make a donation to Children on the Edge, you can do so here.