Step up call for Cardgains’ latest charity challenge with £35,000 target
Cardgains is setting out to prove It’s Not Grim Up North as that’s the name of this year’s charity challenge celebrating the buying group’s 35th anniversary.
Keeping with the theme, md Penny Shaw is hoping to raise £35,000 for mental health charity Mind – and has even helpfully suggested walkers can complete the 17½-mile walk twice to make a nice round 35 miles to match!
Having revealed the challenge at Spring Fair, Cardgains is now looking for those from the greeting card community to sign up to take part in the event in Sheffield, on Thursday, 27 June, by the end of the month 31 March, so they have plenty of training time.
Everyone across the greetings and gifts industry is invited, you don’t have to be a retail or supplier member of the buying group, and anyone who has recently been involved in Cardgains’ charity challenges has been sent an email with the details.
“I’m looking forward to welcoming both new and old walkers this year,” Penny said, “so make sure you register quickly in case we have to limit our numbers!”
It’s Not Grim Up North follows the Sheffield Round Walk 15-mile loop that connects the steel city’s centre with its surrounding countryside.
With the extra link between the challenge base at The Hilton Doubletree Hotel, Chesterfield Road, and joining the route partway through the third Sheaf Valley section, it’s actually a 17½ mile walk which Penny has generously suggested challengers can do twice to make up the headline 35 miles.
And she laughed: “It is a hilly one, I’m not going to lie, Sheffield is built on seven hills so the walkers will probably visit most of them – and ignore the public transport options on the route info, we are walking all the way!”
Explaining this year’s charity of choice Penny said: “We chose Mind because there is a lot about mental health for people day to day and everyone is becoming more aware of the issues in some of the saddest situations. It’s at the forefront of the news.”
The 2023 Look Out London event saw 50 industry folk complete a 25-mile walk around the capital and double the initial target with £50,000 raised for the MND Association, in memory of industry legend David Hicks, founder of Really Good and Soul, whose life was cut short by motor neurone disease
For this year there is a minimum £250 fundraising requirement for each participant, and a JustGiving site has already set up for direct donations, with walkers asked to let Cardgains know of any personal sites so a running total can be calculated.
Once there’s a complete list of participants, an It’s Not Grim Up North communications system will be set up to give regular updates and information, cover logistics and timings, and accommodation and route details.
“It’s crunch time,” Penny added, “this is it!! Are you up for the challenge? Do you want to make new connections and learn more about the people in our industry – sometimes more than you needed to know!”
To register to take part in It’s Not Grim Up North click here, or the registration form is pictured below, which can be printed off to complete then scanned or photographed and emailed to kerry@bridewelluk.co.uk. Once registered, walkers will be added to the email distribution list and future emails will come from the email address ItsNOTGrimUpNorth@cardgains.co.uk.
