London Marathon run for United Through Sport

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Will Hurl and Mark Cooling have completed the London Marathon in support of United Through Sport. Both completed the run in good times. Mark ran in 3 hours and 4 minutes, with Will not far behind in 3 hours and 30, both more than respectable times.

We would like to show our sincerest gratitude to these two men for their support. Furthermore, we would like to wish Will luck on his Sports Management placement in Ghana with United Through Sport, which he will be embarking on later this year.

BIBA South Wales Regional Golf Day

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United Through Sport recently became the nominated charity of the South Wales British Insurance Broker’s Association (BIBA), nominated by Chairman Sue Davidge. BIBA is an intermediary organisation representing the interests of Insurance Brokers and is the largest of it’s kind in the UK.

April 17th marked the region’s first Golf Day which included thirteen teams from across South Wales. The rain held off and the day was enjoyed by all. Not only was there an excellent turn-out, but over £700 was raised for United Through Sport.

We would like to thank Sue and everyone else at BIBA for their ongoing support.

 

Sportshack 24 Hour Radio Broadcast for United Through Sport

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United Through Sport wishes to thank Tom Brown and Will Chamberlin of Royal Holloway University of London, hosts of the Sportshack on 103.2 fm. The guys recently hosted a 24 hour marathon broadcast in aid of United Through Sport.

During the show, the lads also ran a full marathon each, a truly remarkable achievement. The show was a great success, raising an incredible amount of £1379. The guys crossed the finish-line after a full day of broadcasting to the fitting tune of the Queen classic “We are the Champions”.

From everyone at United Through Sport, thank you for support.

Alex Runs the Paris Marathon

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Alex Carlton-Porter, Director of PTL Sports, has completed the Paris Marathon for United Through Sport.

Alex was initially a little nervous about running such a great distance, stating on his fundraising page “bearing in mind the furthest I have ever run is 10K, this will undoubtedly be a very painful and unenjoyable event. However it is all for a good cause.”

“Painful and unenjoyable” as it may have been, Alex came up with the goods!

Completing the 26 miles 385 yard course in 4 hours and 59 minutes, he managed to raise just over £600 for United Through Sport. Alex and his company PTL Sports have supported United Through Sport for many years and it is a support that we are truly grateful to have.

We are always on the look out for people to represent us on stages such as this, raising both funds and awareness for United Through Sport. For more information about how you can get involved check out our fundraising section here.

Military Batallion raises funds for United Through Sport

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£1000 was raised in memory of LCpl Oliver Thomas who was sadly killed in Afghanistan last year. United Through Sport were invited to the memorial evening which was held on the 12th of February, where Trustee David Burton was presented with a cheque.

We would like to thank the Men and Women of 3MI Battalion for raising this money for United Through Sport.

We would also like to thank Olympic Gold Medal Winning Canoeist Etienne Stott who was on hand to lend his support. We wish him all the best of luck with his preparation for competition at the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.

Dutch Volunteers Donate Kit

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After ending 2014 completely satisfied with the amazing job our volunteers did in the projects in which they were coaching and training during the year, we didn’t expect anything less from 2015.

At the beginning of January we received the first group of volunteers from United Through Sport, Netherlands. Anniek, Carmen, Esmée, Lot and Marjolein on a 4 week hockey program and Remco on a 5 week football program. Their programmes were a little bit different from the ones we are used to during the year. They were about to start coaching at summer camps in different places across Buenos Aires City.

The summer camps are free for all the kids that belong to a lower class family. They spent the day at the summer camp, or as we call them “colonias” with their parents having to work hard for a better future for their kids.

So, we start 2015 with a challenging new program: a new group of volunteers working in a different area that we aren’t used to.

Week after week the volunteers from Netherlands showed how committed they were to their job as coaches. From the little kids to the youngsters, they develop a nice relation and make them enjoy every moment learning more about hockey and football.

End of January came and their projects were about to finish, but they couldn’t leave without giving United Through Sport, Argentina a big surprise. They donated more than 15 hockey sticks, balls (hockey balls and footballs), bags and sport shirts to be used by future volunteers.

United Through Sport Staff want to congratulate and thank Anniek, Carmen, Esmée, Lot, Marjolein and Remco for a great job, all the nice memories they left in the kids at the summer camps and the useful equipment they donated for the future volunteers arriving.

10th Anniversary Boat Party Reunion

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United Through Sport is excited to announce our 10th Anniversary Reunion Party. We want to celebrate the ongoing hard work done by our staff and thank all of our volunteers for the support they have provided over the decade of operations that began in South Africa.

To show our gratitude, we are throwing a reunion party for all those who have supported United Through Sport’s cause over the last ten years. The night will take place on a cruise down the river Thames on the 20th December, from 20:00 until midnight. On board is a bar, dance floor and DJ, so everything is in place for a really fantastic evening!

Admission is in the form of a donation of £20.00. To book your place, click here and follow the “joining instructions” on screen. You will be given the option of putting your name with the donation – please remember to do this so we know exactly who has paid and who is attending. If you are a UK taxpayer then you will be eligible for Gift Aid, so remember to use this option when prompted (it means that the government will give us an extra 25% on top your donation, at no extra cost to you!).

Unfortunately, the contact details we have for a lot of our volunteers may be out of date, so if there is anybody that you think we might not have been able to contact please extend this invitation to them if possible.

If you need any further details, or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. You can e-mail Jack or Ia at the United Through Sport office on [email protected]

This will be a great opportunity to get back in touch with the friends you’ve made through United Through Sport and we would really love to see you all there!

Another Year of Colour Run

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It was that exciting time of the year again where our children had the chance to get involved in the “Happiest 5km Run on the planet”! The Color Run in Port Elizabeth (South Africa) took place on Sunday 24th August, and as the charity partner of the event, United Through Sport was very involved in the preparation and organisation for the big day. From packing the goodie bags to manning the “colour stations” on race day, United Through Sport provided over 40 volunteers to ensure the success of the event.

On a few evenings leading up to race day, our international volunteers took pleasure in getting together registration packs and preparing logistics for the run. It was bitter sweet for 20 of the 40 volunteers who would be leaving South Africa just a day before the race, but they made the most of their involvement and had ultimate fun in the registration process.

Having never heard of The Color Run before, the children from the Junior School of Excellence program were super excited to be taking part in such a colourful day! The cold and rainy weather on the morning of the race had no chance of dampening their spirits; they were just too happy and energized to be getting cold! Singing along to their favourite happy tunes and unexpectedly seeing United Through Sport staff at the colour stations shooting them with bursts of colour made the run even more fun for our kids.

The kids had such a blast competing as to who would be the most colourful by the end of the day, with the intention of giving their parents a difficult job getting their clothes clean; the wet weather being great assistance in their plans. It’s not clear who won the most colourful prize though between the United Through Sport volunteers and the kids, as the volunteers were on a mission of their own to end their South African volunteer experience on the happiest and most colourful note!

We were very happy to be nominated as the charity partner in the second year running of The Color Run Port Elizabeth. It indeed proved that last year we did a great job, and we wish to continue with the partnership in the future. All funds donated by The Color Run will go towards our scholarship program, ensuring better educational pathways for the children in the Junior School of Excellence as they progress to high school.

“What a crazy and fun day this was, I just let go and went crazy along with all the runners; it really is the happiest event ever!” – Siyamthanda Ngcakana, Rugby, Junior School of Excellence.

A Different Way to Fundraise

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We love hearing about all the weird and wonderful ways that people like to support and help fundraise for United Through Sport and we encourage you to come up with something unique and interesting.

Recently, sports enthusiasts, Lynsey and Chris Davis, held a naming ceremony for their two children, Max and Ben. Instead of asking for gifts (as we are sure Max and Ben have plenty of toys already!), the very generous couple decided that they would ask friends and family to donate towards United Through Sport, so children less fortunate could also benefit. Through this very simple but effective idea, not only have they been able to raise over £500 but they have also sent out an important message about recognising what we have so that we are able to share more with others.

The ceremony had plenty of people enjoy a fun and gamed fueled day, providing a great opportunity to get friends and family together to celebrate the lives of Max and Ben. Check out a few photos below and a massive thanks goes out to all that have donated to United Through Sport.

If you have an interesting way that you have fundraised for us then get in touch as we want to hear about it.