Sport Relief 2014 Money Raisers
16 Apr 2014
Sport Relief 2014 saw the entire nation pull out all the stops, fundraising in homes, schools, workplaces and by taking part in the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games. Staff and students at the University of Manchester did their bit too in order to contribute to the Sport Relief total which currently stands at £53,370,743
A Family of Fund Raisers
Richard Unwin, Proteomics Lead at the Centre for Advanced Discovery and Experimental Therapeutics, his wife Dr. Karen Rees-Unwin, a post-Doc in the Institute for Cancer Sciences and their two children, Joseph (aged 7) and Megan (aged 3) took part in the Sport Relief mile run in Manchester on Sunday 23rd March. Richard said, “We’ve done every event since it started. The children really enjoy it and it does them good to be part of something bigger and worthwhile.”
Despite their young ages, both children lasted the distance without any difficulty, although Megan was little worried by the Chinese Dragon they encountered en-route. The family are planning on taking part again next year and bettering their time (that’s if the grown-ups can keep up of course)! The Unwins raised a marvelous £175 for Sport Relief.
Volunteers Get Packing
Over 50 students from the Manchester Leadership Programme raised over £3,140 as they volunteered to pack customers bags at the Sainsbury’s superstore in Fallowfield. A series of bag packs were held at the store throughout March, with the aim of raising vital funds for the cause. Each student volunteered for four to six hours, with many stating that they were overwhelmed by the generosity of Sainsbury’s customers.
Over the past year, the Volunteering & Community Engagement Team at the University have built up an excellent relationship with the Sainsbury’s store in Fallowfield, enabling our students to raise a great amount of money. In 2013, the initiative raised £15,000 and in 2014, we aim to increase the amount to £20,000. The majority of the money raised is directed towards local causes in South Manchester including ASSIST, a neighbourhood care group working in Fallowfield and Withington; Fallowfield Food Share, which collects food for local shelters in need; and The Christie.
Kirsty Hutchison, the Volunteering and Community Engagement Manager said, "Our students really enjoy volunteering their spare time to take part in these fundraising bag packs. Some of the students have also chosen to volunteer with the organisations that they are raising money for, so they have been able to see for themselves how the money is used to benefit the local community.”