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March Dog Walking Challenge
This March, spring into action with your faithful friend and cover 62km to help families facing dementia.
The Royal Parks Half Marathon takes you past London’s most iconic landmarks and through four of the city’s most famous parks. Take on this amazing course through central London for Dementia UK and help families facing dementia.
The Royal Parks Half Marathon is a unique event offering a scenic 13.1-mile route through central London. You can enjoy a closed-road course that passes world-famous sites such as Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, and the Royal Albert Hall, while threading through four of the city’s Royal Parks — Hyde Park, The Green Park, St James’s Park, and Kensington Gardens.
The generally flat course, with some gentle undulations makes it suitable for runners of all levels. The race features four water stations and a festive atmosphere, making it a memorable day for participants and supporters alike.
Run with us and help raise vital funds so our dementia specialist Admiral Nurses can provide life-changing support to families facing dementia. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
Roles vary from making as much noise as possible at a cheer point to making hard-earned cups of tea for runners post event. We’ll provide you with a Dementia UK t-shirt and all you need to bring on the day is your enthusiasm! Fill in our short volunteer form and we will be in touch with more details.
Every penny you raise from your event will help our dementia specialist Admiral Nurses provide a lifeline to more families facing dementia – and we’re here to support you every step of the way.
Fundraising ideas
Organising another fundraising activity alongside your main challenge will help you smash your goal. Here are some ideas:
Your fundraising welcome pack
Once you’ve signed up for your challenge, we’ll send you a fundraising welcome pack that’s full of advice on how to meet – and beat – your target.
JustGiving
Setting up a JustGiving page is a great way to fundraise online. Share your link with family, friends and colleagues, and watch the donations roll in.
You can use JustGiving to explain why you’re taking on your challenge for Dementia UK, keep track of how much you’ve raised, and even share your training progress using Strava so your supporters can see how well you’re doing. The more you update and share your JustGiving page, the more donations you’ll receive.
Gift Aid
If your supporters are UK taxpayers and their donation is voluntary (not proceeds of a sale), we can claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated – at no extra cost to them. Make sure they fill in the Gift Aid form in your fundraising pack or tick the correct boxes if they’re donating online.
Sending in your donations
If you’re fundraising through JustGiving, the donations will automatically come to us. If you’ve got cash to pay in, you can do this online, by phone, by bank transfer or by post.
What happens if I don’t reach my fundraising target?
Don’t worry – we’ll help you get there! We’ll offer you lots of fundraising support in the run-up to the Royal Parks Half Marathon and in the days after to ensure that you achieve your minimum fundraising target, including going through your fundraising plan beforehand. The target will need to be reached by 42 days after the event, so there’s plenty of time!
Do I get a vest to wear on the day?
Yes – whether you have your own place or a charity place, just fill in the form to request your running top or vest. We’ll send it out approximately six weeks before race day.
What is a ballot place?
The ballot is a random draw that allocates places directly through the race organiser’s website. If you are successful in the ballot and pay your registration fee place to the event organisers, you’ll have your ballot place and can choose to support us by filling in the ‘I have my own place’ form.
With a successful ballot place, there is no minimum fundraising requirement – just raise as much as you can to support more families facing dementia.
What is a charity place?
A charity place is a place purchased from the event organisers by Dementia UK. If you did not apply for the ballot or were unsuccessful, you can still take part in the event with a charity place by filling in the ‘Charity place’ form above.
You will be required to pay a registration fee to help cover part of the cost that Dementia UK pays for your place. There is also a minimum fundraising requirement of £375 to ensure that we raise as much as possible so more families can access the support and advice of our specialist dementia nurses.
What is an own place?
An own place secures your general entry to the event by purchasing a place directly through the race organiser’s website. If you have your own place you can choose to support us by filling in the ‘I have my own place’ form.
With your own place, there is no minimum fundraising requirement – just raise as much as you can to support more families facing dementia.
Will Dementia UK be there on the day?
Yes! We look forward to supporting you on event day and giving you a huge boost along the route at our Dementia UK’s branded cheer point(s). We will also have a pre- and post-event meet in the event village to celebrate your incredible achievement and thank you for your support!
Definitions
“Dementia UK/We/Us/Our” means Dementia UK (Registered Charity Number 1039404) of 7th floor, One Aldgate, London, EC3N 1RE. The charity that has reserved Your place in the Event.
“You/Your/Yourself” means the person agreeing to be bound by these terms and conditions and who is using a Dementia UK place to take part in an Event.
“Event” means the Royal Parks Half Marathon
“Event Organiser” means the c companies The Royal Parks (company number 10016100) and London Marathon Events Limited (company number 01528489) are responsible for organising the Royal Parks Half Marathon.
“Fee” means the registration fee that You are required to pay to confirm Your place in the Event.
The easiest way to send cash donations to Dementia UK is by donating to your online fundraising page. Alternatively, you can:
Every penny you raise will make a huge difference to families facing dementia. Each donation, no matter how big or small, will help you reach your target. Did you know that someone simply donating £4 to your fundraiser could pay for the telephone costs of one family calling our free Helpline for immediate support.
to run a full day of face-to-face appointments for families affected by young onset dementia (where symptoms develop under the age of 65).
to answer calls on our Helpline on a Sunday, when other dementia services are closed.
for a whole week to support a community where people are struggling to access local dementia services.
Emily participated in the 2023 Royal Parks Half Marathon"Seeing all the other runners with their charity tops and the supporters with their banners at the start made me feel quite emotional. The atmosphere was amazing and so many strangers calling out my name cheering me on was phenomenal".
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