A month-long charity campaign, which aimed to boost the nation’s health and wellbeing has come to an end, raising a total of over £15,000 for The Ambulance Staff Charity, Police Care UK, The Fire Fighters Charity and The Air Ambulance Service.
Launched in January, the Blue Light Get Active Challenge tasked individuals with clocking up as many miles, steps or minutes of physical activity or mindfulness exercises as they could, to raise important funds and boost morale during the national lockdown.
Leading emergency services discount provider Blue Light Card and wellbeing organisation Get Active supported the challenge and offered a state-of-the-art app for participants to log their activities – which included running, cycling and yoga – and see where they ranked against others in a leader board. A total of around 400 participants got involved by either making a donation to their chosen charity or raising funds which were then split evenly between each of the four charities.
The money raised will support the work of all four emergency services charities who provide support for all who continue to work incredibly hard to keep Britain safe especially in the wake of Covid-19.
Cheryl from North Wales Police was the overall winner of the challenge, logging a total of 5,318 points, including 474 miles of walking and 57 miles of running, topping the leader board.
Commenting on the achievement, Cheryl said: ‘In the absence of actual running events due to these strange times, it was lovely to be able to take part in these activities – the bonus is that it’s for a good cause too! Being part of this challenge kept my focus on a goal – with a superb medal at the end of it.’
Tom Dalby, CEO of Blue Light Card said: ‘Supporting emergency service teams has always been at the heart of what we do, and even more so after we’ve seen first-hand just how hard they’ve worked to keep us safe throughout 2020 and into 2021. That’s why this campaign has been extra special for us.
‘Seeing people get involved and take up the chance to get active and practice mindfulness, especially when the weather has been testing, has been so great to see, and we hope it has inspired regular active routines within the blue light community and beyond.
‘Helping to raise over £15,000 for these four very worthy causes while supporting the great work these incredible charities do for our front-line workers and families is fantastic.’
David Kelly, director at Get Active Challenges also commented: ‘We’re thrilled with how well our first Blue Light Card campaign has gone, inspiring our emergency services to get out and get active, especially when they are working so incredibly hard through these challenging times we’re in.
‘We are hugely grateful for the £15,000 that has already been raised for four incredible blue light charities to provide their much-needed care and support for the emergency services who need them.’
For more information, visit getactivechallenges.com/bluelight
