We are thrilled to announce that our annual Windsor Half Marathon fundraiser, which took place on the final weekend of September, has brought in over £50,000 for SHINE.

Donations were still pouring in after the event, and thanks to the matched-funding given to us by some of our most generous and long-standing supporters, we can finally confirm that the total raised is £50,000.

To give some context what this amount can achieve: £50,000 can launch two SHINE on Saturday programmes for disadvantaged primary school children in some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in our country; it can provide five Let Teachers SHINE winners with the investment they need to bring their innovative ideas into fruition; and it can fund around five of our inspirational Serious Fun on Saturday projects. It’s a remarkable achievement for everyone involved and we thank those who ran and, of course, donated so generously.

The day itself was, as always, a wonderful success and a joyous celebration of all things SHINE. Our team of over forty runners were joined by friends and family on a scorching day. The temperatures were reaching 25° which spelt bad news for the runners, but good news for supporters who could enjoy the last of the summer rays in the beautiful Windsor Great Park.

SHINE’s team was as diverse as ever and made up of a variety of staff, trustees, beneficiaries and supporters, both new and long-standing. We had two previous Chairmen, David Blood and Jim O’Neill, getting their running shoes on once again, alongside SHINE’s Senior Programme Manager Fiona Spellman and Fundraising and Communications Executive Malachy O’Keeffe. Representing our grantees was HegartyMaths impresario and Let Teachers SHINE winner Colin Hegarty who was taking on the challenge for the second time. This is not to mention countless other supporters from a huge array of our wider networks.

We are grateful to everyone who made it such a memorable day: to those who came to make the atmosphere so special, to our runners for taking on such gruelling conditions, and most importantly to each and every one of you who donated: your money will go direct to making a big difference to those children who need it most.