Runners Could Top £30M Raised At Great Manchester Run

Runners in last year’s Great Manchester Run raised more than £4m for local and national good causes. Organisers think that if the same amount or more is raised on this year’s run the total raised since 2003 could top the £30m mark making these big-hearted runners some of Manchester’s Greatest Fundraisers.

Each year 40,000 runners challenge themselves over 10km through city centre streets closed to traffic and around a third raise money for good causes. Thousands have already signed-up directly with charities to run this year’s Great Manchester Run, on Sunday 22 May, and thousands more will decide to raise money for a charity after they have entered. 

Manchester’s Greatest Fundraisers run for more than 20 charities of all sizes and many use the challenge as an opportunity to raise funds for local causes important to them and the city. 

Kirsty Howard and the Kirsty Club campaign that her courageous life inspired, have raised millions for Francis House Children’s Hospice in Manchester. The Great Manchester Run was always a crucial annual fundraising event for Kirsty, who passed away last October, and will continue to be so for the Kirsty Club. The team will have 50 official runners on the start line on 22 May and are working with the Great Manchester Run to honour Kirsty at this year’s event.

Runners join #TeamHumphrey to raise thousands of pounds every year for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity. The funding is crucial to the hospital, which is the largest children’s hospital in the UK, treating more than 220,000 patients a year from across the North West and beyond. #TeamHumphrey is hoping to raise £1million for the hospital through this year’s Great Manchester Run. 

Great Manchester Runners have raised much-needed funds for The Christie, the largest single site cancer centre in Europe and international leader in the care, treatment and research of cancer, since the inaugural Great Manchester Run in 2003. More than 1,500 runners joined the official Team Christie last year with hundreds more deciding to use their run to raise money for The Christie after they’d signed up. Manchester legend Peter Hook will run for Team Christie again this year in his 10th Great Manchester Run.

Great Run Company Communications Director, David Hart, said: “Taking part in the Great Manchester Run for a good cause is a powerful motivator for runners as they wrap up and head out to pound the pavements on cold, dark, wet and windy winter mornings and evenings. Looking at how many have already signed up to run for charity, we think the total raised for local and national causes since the event started in 2003 could top £30m this year, making these big-hearted runners some of Manchester’s Greatest Fundraisers.”

Phil Taylor, Director of The Kirsty Club, said: "The Great Manchester Run is one of The Kirsty Club’s prestigious annual events and one of Manchester's greatest occasions where the city centre is filled with thousands of runners and supporters. The people who sponsor The Kirsty Club team have enormously benefited Francis House Children’s Hospice, which cares for children with short life expectancy and their families and costs £4 million a year to run. The Kirsty Club will continue to raise funds for Francis House as a legacy to Kirsty Howard, who passed away last October.

“It will be strange to stand at the start line without Kirsty as we have been together at the start for 14 years but it will also fill me with pride to see our team not only still together but growing as a tribute to such a marvellous girl."

Hannah Thomas, Events Manager at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity said: “Over the past 10 years, people taking part in the Great Manchester Run have raised more than £900K to support our hospitals. There is no doubt that the Great Manchester Run has directly contributed to helping make sure Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital isn’t just the largest children’s hospital in the UK, but also the very best and we are so grateful to all the runners who have supported us. This year we are delighted to be Manchester City Council’s nominated charity for the event and are encouraging as many people as possible to sign up, tick the box to run for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity and help us top the £1million mark in 2016.”

Lucy Naylor, sporting events manager at The Christie charity said: “We’re extremely excited about this year’s run and are so grateful for the support we receive, year on year. Money raised from events like the Great Manchester Run helps us help our patients even more. From the latest high-tech equipment to important research – every penny goes directly to where it’s needed and makes such a difference to our patients and their families. There is still time for anyone who has not yet signed up, to do so, by visiting the Great Run website and selecting The Christie as your charity of choice.”

Runners can sign-up to take part in the Great Manchester Run and raise vital funds for a charity at www.greatrun.org/great-manchester-run/run-for-charity