Sawston Fun Run
One of the most significant events during EAST’s fundraising campaign was the Sawston Fun Run which raises funds for local charities. The brain child of Gerry Holloway, the event has been going since 1986. It is now run by the Rotary club and continues to be a true community event today. In 1996, it was the event’s 10th Anniversary and EAST was its main beneficiary.
We founded EAST (East Anglian Autistic Support Trust) in 1991 and it became a registered charity early in 1992. Our fundraising emerged from our meetings at the Child Development Centre in Addenbrooke’s Hospital where a support group of families with autism met monthly. We began by holding small afternoon tea and coffee mornings, and then targeting a private lottery and other potential grant givers. Within a couple of years, we felt we could set ourselves a target of £1 million to build specialised accommodation for young adults with autism. With some faithful volunteers stuffing envelopes of the EAST leaflets, which we sent to local organisations, we gradually raised our profile within the county and beyond.
Meanwhile, our events fundraiser, Lisa Chapman, was busy coordinating local community projects. She approached the organiser of the Sawston Fun Run, Gerry Holloway, to ask if EAST could become a beneficiary. We had no idea the impact this village event would have on our charity.
The annual event supports local charities. And in 1996, its tenth anniversary, we were selected along with the village’s Compass Trust – Tea Room Project, Sawston Fire Service Benevolent Fund, British Red Cross and Magpas.
These were all local projects or better-known to the village than EAST. I didn’t expect this event to be a big fundraiser for us, perhaps £1,000, but Lisa had other ideas.
Our first job was to visit the village college, where Gerry coordinated the event, and introduce EAST to the pupils by giving a talk at their full school assembly. On this occasion, Lisa joined me. Whilst I read out a piece about autism in French, Lisa used sign language to “translate” what I was saying.
I had often used the simile that having severe autism is akin to a tourist in a foreign land where you neither know the language nor understand the culture. Between us, we could now put this simile into practice. It truly caught the students’ imagination and attention.
We asked the students if they understood what we had been saying. We didn’t expect anyone to put their hands up. But one young person in the audience had the courage to do so. He had spent some time in France and could translate what I had been saying.
Following this assembly, Gerry enlisted the help of our local newspaper, Cambridge (Evening) News, to write several articles publicising the Fun Run, EAST. and a feature article about one of our families. Gerry coordinated the students to write articles, such as Fun run set to aid charity, written by 13 year old Lucy, and devise a word search for a bit of fun. You may like to Solve this puzzle! yourselves.
Next, Lisa spent a full day visiting every shop in the village’s mile long shopping street asking for raffle donations. I was still not sure that we were big enough to warrant the effort we were investing. There are roughly 27 shops, banks and pubs along the High Street today. We estimate there were probably more in 1994. We were astonished, however, that all but one establishment contributed.
I approached my erstwhile colleague, Anglia television presenter, Helen McDermott, to open the event, which she agreed to readily. We advertised the event within our EAST supporters, encouraging them to come along and join the fun. And Lisa arranged for more of our logoed t-shirts to be printed for EAST participants to wear as they took part.
We were now all set for the Fun Run.
Lisa and I took part in the race and what transpired literally took our breath away.
The 5k route of the run takes in most of the village. Along with the usual villagers and serious runners, people from EAST turned up with their children and their EAST t-shirts to take part in the run. Some pushed their children in their buggies. Others just walked the route with their families.
Having started the event, Helen joined the runners and completed the course.
As I made my way round the route, I was astonished at the reception the runners received. Every resident who was not taking part seemed to be out in their front gardens cheering us on. Some handing out bottles of water, some throwing some very welcome wet sponges as it was a very warm day. But all clapping and cheering on those who ran or walked the distance.
As we crossed the finishing line to huge cheers from the crowd, each participant received a Sawston Fun Run 10th Anniversary medal, the reverse of which bore the EAST logo. We had no idea this was being planned.
Gerry informed me that no other charity had put the effort into the Fun Run as EAST, and the medal was our reward for our hard work. But there was another surprise in store for us.
Gerry had told the press that he was hoping the event would raise £10,000 for EAST. But the event was to Break all previous figures by raising £15,000. You can imagine my surprise and delight, when I was invited to receive our share of the proceeds, a cheque which had been made out to £12,000. This was certainly not what neither Lisa nor I were expecting. This would be enough to fit out one room at Juniper House.
The efforts Lisa undertook walking business to business underlines how face to face contact is so much more effective than writing letters. Not only was it much easier for the proprietor to donate a prize there and then to the Fun Run, but Lisa was able to answer questions about autism and our work. There was no effort on their part but the rewards for EAST were huge. The personal touch made all the difference.
This one event was to kick start the next phase of our campaign. Along with the grants from the charitable trusts, this event skyrocketed our profile. We were not only able to use this success to kick off bigger grants, but local organisations started to take EAST and its project much more seriously.
The final stage of our campaign had begun.
(Gerry informs me that the 10th Sawston Fun Run was the most successful in the early years of the run)
