Can you walk, run, cycle or swim? If so, why not choose a race or event that you can take part in and help raise money for Sands at the same time! Sands relies heavily on our fantastic fundraisers to raise vital funds to help provide bereavement support to anyone affected by the death of a baby, improve bereavement care and fund research to save babies’ lives. You can do anything from walking 5k dressed as Santa, to running a half marathon around Silverstone to an ultramarathon across the Sahara desert! Your bucket list challenge awaits! Come join #TeamSands and we will help you get there!
Or you could attempt to break a world record like Adam did in 2016…
On 25th May 2016 Adam Leyton set off with a mission to beat a world record by visiting 12 countries in 24 hours using only scheduled/public transport. The previous record set in 1993 saw 11 countries in the same amount of time.
During the course of this incredible challenge Adam hoped to raise some funds for Sands. Seven years ago his sister Gemma, lost her baby daughter Tilly Rose just five days before she was due to be born. He said, “The support Sands gave to my sister and her family was incredible. This was my way of saying thank you to them.”
After several months of planning the most viable route was set. Beginning at 7.01am in Perl, Germany, Adam passed through Luxembourg, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary before crossing the border into Austria. The last stretch saw him making a four kilometre dash through the Hungarian and Austrian border in order to complete the challenge in time… which he did successfully in an impressive 23 hours and 52 minutes. A 23 year old record had been broken!
Not only did Adam raise an amazing amount of nearly £1500, in late 2016 the Guinness World Records officially recognised his achievement to become the Guinness World Records Title Holder for most countries visited in 24 hours by scheduled transport! Read the full story of Adam’s travels and an opportunity to still donate via his website www.12in24.co.uk.
Speaking of his achievement Adam said, “It was an incredible adventure. I beat a world record, raised a huge amount for Sands and hit the news media headlines in 35 countries across 4 continents.”
Carolyn Bray, Fundraising Manager at Sands said, “We are immensely grateful to Adam for undertaking such an inspiring challenge in a bid to gain a world record title and in doing so raising great awareness of Sands’ work across so many countries. We embrace all our supporters’ fundraising ideas and will always try to help support them to realise their ambitions. We would like to thank Adam, his supporters, and all those who tirelessly fundraise for Sands’ cause to ensure we are able to continue to deliver the range of services we offer.”
If you too fancy undertaking a different challenge for Sands please do not hesitate to contact us at: fundraising@uk-sands.org or visit our website fundraising events page.