Rachel lives in Compton village and spends her spare time running around the parish in all weathers. In 2019 she decided to complete her first Ultramarathon, the 100km Race to the King along the South Downs Way, ending in Winchester.
She wanted to raise money through sponsorship to support the work of The Octagon Parish and also the Multiple Sclerosis Society – both charities very important to her.
As it was her first ultra marathon and not wanting to put herself under too much pressure, she did not take up a charity place for the race, but paid the entry fee out of her own funds. This gave her the flexibility to raise money for both charities at once using an online fundraising platform that allowed donations to be split 50/50 between the two charities.
The Octagon Parish helped with her fundraising efforts, publicising her adventure in The Octagon Magazine and in our other media.
Money raised by Rachel went towards the purchase of a digital projector. This has really made a big difference to church services for young people and children who enjoy the visual element, but has also been used for presentations in our churches and village halls.
If you wish to fundraise in this way, do have a word with us about how we can help. We can talk to event organisers about getting our charity listed if you wish to take up a charity place. We can also advise about setting up fundraising platforms and accepting one-off donations as well as publicising your efforts through our print and social media channels.