For a fourth year in a row hundreds of Edinburgh teachers, school staff and supporters are running The DARED Challenge to support local charity, Circle, encouraged as ever by Circle’s patrons, actor David Tennant, and Arabella Weir.
Since 2018 over 400 hundred runners have taken on the challenge to “Do A Run Every Day” in June and raised over £60,000 to provide support for local vulnerable families. The challenge is simple, you choose a distance, either 1 mile per day or 5km per day, choose whatever time of day suits you best to run at, choose wherever you want to run and choose to go solo or with friends. As a virtual event you can fit it easily into your particular lifestyle and by running a manageable distance every day it is both accessible to new runners but challenging for those runners more used to single longer distance runs.
“A fantastic event to take part in with a wonderful community spirit through social media and Strava. Will definitely be taking part again next year!”
The event was created by Mark Fletcher, a local teacher, who wanted to encourage other school staff to prioritise their own physical and mental health in what can be an unhealthy profession whilst supporting a local cause. Mark has since won a Volunteer of the Year award for his efforts.
Circle is well known to many of Edinburgh’s teachers as it provides support to children impacted by parental substance use, domestic abuse, parental imprisonment and persistent poverty. All of which have a significant impact on a child’s ability to reach their potential in school and beyond it. Circle also now provide support in a number of schools with children who are beginning to face their own challenges with substance use, which can be a generational handed down to them as a coping mechanism. And during Covid Circle have begun to even help schools feed and clothe children most impacted by the financial pressures of the ongoing crisis. Child poverty has increased across the city over the last year.
“DARED is a great initiative, running every day to raise money to support such a superb charity in this city is great motivation and I’m thrilled I managed it this year at 7 months pregnant! I felt so encouraged by those who sponsored me and so glad to be able to contribute to a charity who support pregnant mother’s in Edinburgh. Thanks Circle for all the work you do, looking forward to next year already!”
So far over 100 runners have signed up for DARED 2021 in order to ensure Circle’s vital support for Edinburgh’s disadvantaged children continues.
https://www.facebook.com/DAREDChallenge/
