UTS take on the BUPA London 10km Challenge

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A massive thanks goes out to the team that took part in the Bupa London 10km run on 30th May. Over £2500 was raised for our work overseas.

The run was great fun as everyone ran together and took in the atmosphere and iconic London scene, including Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Nelson’s Column. Buckingham Palace acted as the backdrop to the start and finish. We even had our very own Lion Man running with us for our Bhubesi Rugby and Sport project in 10 African countries next year.

If you get a place in a sporting event, like the London Marthon or the London to Brighton cycle challenge then why not consider raising money for United Through Sport at the same time and join our ever growing sporting community!

Bring on next year and an even bigger crowd of United Through Sport supporters.

Noddy Climbs to Everest Base Camp

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Nadeem ‘Noddy’ Arshad has completed the impressive feat of climbing to Everest Base Camp (over 6000 metres above sea level) to raise over £500 for our project work in South Africa.

Having spent time working with United Through Sport in South Africa in October 2009, Noddy was inspired to trek to Everest Base Camp to raise some valuable cash for the communities he worked with.

Noddy explained, “I worked with United Through Sport South Africa to help develop and improve the lives of children from underprivileged communities in Port Elizabeth. It was a pleasure to see how mine and other volunteers’ help can go towards improving the health and well-being of these young children. I would like to go back one day and help again but in the meantime, I will do all I can to provide further assistance to this amazing organisation.”

On behalf of all the Trustees at United Through Sport South Africa and the children we work with, we would like to extend a big thanks – bigger than Everest even! – for Noddy’s amazing achievement and all the money he raised!

Stationary donation for School of Excellence Kids

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Rio-tinto continued their all round support of the School of Excellence kids by providing 180 brand new stationary packs for all of the sponsored children at the School of Excellence. Each pack contained pencils, pens, a ruler, eraser, calculator and scissors. Lubabalo Mpongoshe, Project Manager of the School of Excellence program said, “These packs are the perfect gift to start off the new year for the scholars. Every year it is a financial struggle to make sure our kids have the right equipment to perform academically, this year Rio-tinto’s donation has really given them a push start”.

Fun Fayres Raise £200

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United Through Sport was represented at two local fayres over the August bank holiday weekend. Despite competing with the local attractions of duck and sheep racing, dog shows and a very busy ice-cream van, the charity still made nearly £200 selling soup recipe books and wristbands at the Chapel Row Fayre and Cold Ash Fete in West Berkshire.

Eleven lucky punters won a football or a rugby ball after generously donating £3 to buy a book. Many thanks to all those who supported the charity at the summer events. Thanks also to Dan, Denise, Dave and Pam for manning the stall over the weekend!

Law Firm Give £300 Raffle Prize

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On 2nd July 2009, law firm RadcliffesLeBrasseur held their annual summer event for staff. As part of the event, a raffle was held in aid of charity. A fantastic sum of over £300 was raised in aid of United Through Sport.

100% of the funds raised are to be dedicated to the School of Sporting Excellence in South Africa. Participants in the raffle were given details on what United Through Sport stand for and how the project is making a huge difference to kids in some of the poorest areas of Port Elizabeth.

United Through Sport would like to thank all at RadcliffesLeBrasseur for their warm generosity this summer!

Squash Marathon Raises £400

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On 30th May, Matt Burnett, a squash coach from Berkshire, played squash and racketball for 10 straight hours to raise funds for United Through Sport!

The marathon rally was a great event and raised a smashing sum of over £400 for the charity.

100% of the funds will be dedicated to the 2009 campaign to raise £40,000 for the School of Sporting Excellence in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Many thanks go to Matt and all those who sponsored his incredible effort!

Thames Valley Uni Teams Up

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It was students versus staff on the sports pitch this May as Thames Valley University held its annual Sports Challenge fundraiser in aid of United Through Sport.

Now in its second year, Sports Challenge is organised by TVU’s volunteering team to raise money for charity and also raise awareness of the University’s community work.

The one-day sports tournament, which has become a permanent fixture on the University’s events calendar, sees students compete against staff in netball, football and rugby. More than 100 students and staff from across the University’s campuses turned out for this year’s Sports Challenge, either to take part or to cheer their team along. The students emerged triumphant, with their teams winning the most games overall this year. Over £700 was raised for United Through Sport, through the tournament entrance fees and the sale of raffle tickets.

Local partners, including Brentford Football Club, London Welsh Dragons Rugby Club and Tesco Richmond, also lent their support to the day, donating raffle prizes and refreshments, while the University of Westminster provided the venue for the day.

Commenting on the event, Nav Sira, TVU Volunteering Coordinator, said, “I’ve been overwhelmed by the support from everyone, which has helped make this year’s event such a success and demonstrates a really positive attitude to volunteering. We’ve even set a new fundraising record for ourselves, which I look forward to us beating next year.”

The volunteering team co-ordinates a variety of community-focused projects. More than 200 TVU students take part in initiatives ranging from sports coaching for local children to peer mentoring projects with young offenders. These projects aim to improve the relations between students and local residents, help integrate students within the communities they live in and use students’ knowledge and skills to benefit local people.

Reading Run Raises Cash

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Many thanks to Katy Weaver who ran the Reading Half Marathon on 29th March in aid of United Through Sport.

Thanks to her efforts the charity received £160 in sponsorship. Thankfully she didn’t require the ambulance that she suggested she might need half-way through the course!

Ironmen Do It Themselves for £1,500

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On 10th December, four adventurers took to the desert of Dubai to take part in one of the most challenging Ironman tournaments in the world.

With a 3.8km swim followed by a 180km bike and then a 42km run, the unofficial ‘DIY Ironman’ is an incredible test of endurance in the unbelievable heat of the UAE.

Many thanks to Pascale, Wouter, Anne and Louise for their incredible effort, which raised nearly £1500 for United Through Sport.

Phil Races 370km for United Through Sport

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This year, Phil Hatzis ran, swam and cycled his way to 370km and nearly £1,200 for United Through Sport. The challenge involves completing a series of grueling sporting events starting with The London Marathon in April and culminating in the famous Ironman UK in September.

A first year engineer at Durham University, Phil has only recently taken up triathlons but was determined to rise to the challenge. “I have always enjoyed my sport; mainly rugby and tennis when I was younger through to cross-country running and triathlon now.”

The Ironman UK is a triathlon race and consists of a 2.4 mile open-water swim, 112 mile cycle and finishes with a marathon run of 26.2 miles. The time limit is 17 hours.

“Having been accepted in all these races through the ballots, I realised it was a great opportunity to raise a lot of money for charity. I chose to fundraise for United Through Sport as I have been to Africa and South America where I have seen children happily playing sport with whatever they could find. Sport has always been a large part of my life and I relish the opportunity to share my enjoyment of it through benefiting the lives of these children.”

Follow him on twitter here: twitter.com/philip_hatzis