EXTREME CHARITY
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THE CHARITY INSIDER
It's all about the money for Rachel Athey. Regional livents Manager for Marie (‘urie (‘ancer Care. but then if she didn‘t think this way then the charity wouldn‘t be able to provide free nursing services for terminally ill cancer patients. Unsurprisingly this goal inspires incredible loyalty in the people taking part in the charity“s l'undraising events. particularly it' they know someone affected by cancer. ‘People feel quite emotionally tied to
us.‘ says Athey. ‘This is our number one driver
in getting people involved. followed by the attraction of the event itsell'.‘ This can be anything. from an Edinburgh Festival ceilidh to a walk along the Great Wall of China. but what unites them all is the potential to bring in a substantial prol'it. And l'ew events are as
successful in this respect as the China trek. for
which each walker is required to bring in a
8 THE LIST 10—1 7 Aug 2006
minimum of £27()() sponsorship. However. not till (il' this goes directly [0 the charity: approximately £138() is required to cover the cost of the trip itsell‘. leaving £l57l) tor Marie Curie.
While this is undoubtedly a large prolit. there is something slightly dubious about participants potentially asking their l‘riends. family and employer to pay for their holiday. But it‘s an observation Athey has clearly heard before. 'A signilicant number ot~ people who go on the overseas challenges actually pay their own costs. but the truth of it is that Marie (‘ttrie makes substantial income from these events and we can‘t ignore that. We try to be as open as possible about the allocation of money so there is no pretence.' Indeed. the website is explicit about the way that the money is allocated and urges people to explain the details to their sponsors bel’oreliand. It‘s an admirable sentiment and one which should probably apply to many more similar events. including the increasingly popular marathons and fun runs. many ol' which actually charge charities more than twice the price for a fundraiser place than it asks for a regular individual. It seems that good causes are not the only ones profiting from the rise in l‘undraising for fun.
I l’nr more details old/uric ('uriv's events. visit www.murit't'm'imuje.uk
THE MOON WALK
Back in June. thousands of women walked through the streets of Edinburgh in their bras. raising over {250.000 for breast cancer charities. www.walltthewailt.org
THE KINDROCHIT QUADRATHLON Almost certainly Scotland’s toughest one-day event, the annual Ouadrathlon consists of a one- mile swim across Loch Tay, a 15-mile run/climb over seven munros, a seven-mile canoe trip, and then a 34-mile bike ride round the loch. Mercy Corps reaps the benefits. www.mercycorps.org