What a Finish!

The Rotary Club of Billericay has supported the Billericay Fun Walk for many years because it provides a vehicle for raising money for charities in the District through sponsorship of our walkers.

But also because our MP, John Baron, takes the opportunity when he visits local businesses to solicit donations from them to a bonus pot.  This bonus pot is then distributed to participants in proportion to how much they each have raised through their own sponsorship.  In recent years this bonus has varied between 30 and 50 percent, with 2022’s bonus being 40 percent.

A Charity Celebration

The “Grand Reveal” of the number of participants, amount raised for charity and the size of the bonus took place at Canon Roche Hall on the evening of November 24.  It was the Fun Walk Finish!

Over 100 participants and supporters turned up on the night, with our club’s Fun Walk organiser, Peter Greene, and Margaret Fowler amongst them to celebrate the end of another successful Fun Walk, and learn how much bonus they had received.

John Baron MP was there of course, accompanied by principal organiser of the event, Sandra Bastow and Town Crier Jim Shrubb to call everybody to order.  Over 70 organisations had registered to take part in the walk, and 52 had actually completed the challenge and submitted returns of the amount they had raised.

Stewarding and “nibbles” were served by Air Cadets, and wine and other drinks were served by volunteers.

Thanks and Congratulations

Jim Shrubb rang his bell and called John Baron MP forward to address the assembled audience.

“It is a pleasure to see so many of you here”, John said, “I’d like to congratulate all of the Fun Walk participants who have taken the time to fundraise for their local charities and community groups. £1.5 million is a huge achievement and we are so pleased and proud to have reached this milestone.  Some of you are first time participants and may not know that we couldn’t have done this without the generous support of local businesses, whose donations this year allowed us to pay a 40% bonus over and above the money each organisation raised themselves.  Our 2023 sponsors include Swan Housing, IFE Global Logistics, Greater Anglia, Reactive Integrated Services, Anisha Grange Care Home, Butyl Products Group, Tunnelcraft, Mr Barrie Stone and others.”

He revealed that 52 charities had raised £60, 787.46.  With a bonus pot of over £24.000, the total amount raised in 2023 was £85,102.46, with the bonus being distributed in proportion to the amount each organization raised.
He mentioned a few charities directly, amongst which was Christ Church (home to our Member Rtn. Rev. Margaret Fowler) which had raised a total of £2081.25. The grand “winner” PhoenixFM had raised £4,376.20 for a bonus of £1751 and a total of £6,127.20.

Let My Club Know

Peter and Margaret were the only members who were available to attend the celebration, as it clashed with the Rotary Club of Basildon’s 63rd Charter Celebration.

The club was fully briefed on the size of the bonus and the total money raised at our usual meeting on the following Monday.

How did we do?

The Rotary Club of Billericay raised £1981which gained the club a bonus of £793,
for a total amount raised of £2774.