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Toy industry triathlons for children with serious illness

More than 200 people who work in the toy industry came together for the Toy Trust Big Challenge 2018 on 9 June in Buckinghamshire.

The Big Challenge event aims to raise £200,000 for the children’s charities supported by the Toy Trust, including Over The Wall which is the Toy Trust’s Charity of the Year 2018.

Participants took part in a range of events including an Olympic Distance Triathlon (1500m open water swim, 40km cycle, 10km run), Sprint Distance Triathlon (750m open water swim, 20km cycle, 5km run) and circular cycle routes from 50km-80km and a walk and run from 5km-10km.

Over The Wall staff and volunteers joined in the fun and provided children with a flavour of Camp – a series of children’s activities, face painting and games, including ‘Silly Olympics’.

 

Toy Trust Chair, Foye Pascoe, said: “The Toy Trust Big Challenge continues to be a fantastic annual event that unites people from all corners of the UK toy industry to generate amazing amounts of money for the children’s charities that we support across the year”

The Toy Trust has kindly pledged to raise £90,000 to fund an Over The Wall camp for 65 children, which will take place in August 2018. The Toy Trust also plans to work alongside Over The Wall by helping to develop research that will demonstrate the positive role that play has on serious illness.

Foye continues: “We are thrilled to be able to support Over The Wall this year and we are inspired by the amazing work they do with children and young people through their camps.  It was fantastic to see toymakers, licensors and retailers all pulling together for such a brilliant cause”.

Toy Trust’s assistance will help us to provide more children with health challenges the opportunity to experience camp, aid our charity’s growth and ongoing plans to at least double our service provision by 2021.

Later in the Summer, a team of volunteers from Hasbro will be attending Midlands Health Challenge camp to run activity workshops with campers of all age groups.

Contact helen.o’brien@otw.org.uk to find out how your staff can get involved in Over The Wall volunteering programmes, or how to nominate us as your Charity of the Year.