Colourful challenge raises more than £3,000 for local hospitals
Almost 40 people signed up for charity tickets to the Colour Run Obstacle Assault Course Challenge event last weekend, raising more than £3,000 for East Kent Hospitals Charity.
The event was organised by Boonies Outdoors and held at Betteshanger Country Park in Deal on Sunday, 29 September. It was the second time that East Kent Hospitals Charity was their official charity partner, having supported the Survival Rewind Challenge in 2023.
The event was a colour run with a twist – participants faced more than 30 obstacles to power through, on an all-weather course situated in the picturesque Kent countryside, through clouds of brightly coloured powder.
The family-friendly assault course was extremely popular and East Kent Hospitals staff members were among those to sign up.
Teams from Padua children’s ward at the William Harvey Hospital, and community child health in Dover and Folkestone took part, with both groups more than doubling their fundraising targets.
Stacey Parker, bereavement midwife, was team captain for the individual team that fundraised the largest amount. Together with colleagues Maddy, Britney, Luke, Amy, Alfie and Courtney, they raised £770 to be spent on the Twinkling Stars suite at the William Harvey Hospital. This is a dedicated space for parents to spend time with their baby, supported by specialist bereavement midwives, away from the hustle and bustle of the maternity wards.
Beau Mabb, aged seven, took part and raised £135 for Padua ward. Beau is a regular fundraiser, having raised more than £1,000 last year to purchase toys for children spending time in hospital at Christmas.
Beau’s mum, Kelsey Mabb, said: “Beau has always wanted to help others ever since a young age. As a family Padua ward holds a very special place in our hearts, as Beau’s cousin has spent a lot of time being treated there due to a lifelong diagnosis.”
Head of East Kent Hospitals Charity, Dee Neligan, said: “We were thrilled to partner again with Boonies Outdoors and Betteshanger Country Park. The event was expertly organised by Jay Ingram, director at Boonies Outdoors.
“Brave entrants tackled a number of obstacles, including rope swings, water slides, tunnels and more. I had the pleasure of throwing powdered paint at participants as they ran past one of the many colour stations around the course and it was a joy to see everyone having so much fun.
“We are incredibly lucky to have been supported at the event by so many amazing fundraisers, including staff from our hospitals, who are passionate about supporting the work that we do.”
Betteshanger Country Park manager Ben Trott said: “As hosting venue and in partnership with Boonies, we are delighted that this event raised important funds for a great charity. The day was full of colour in every way, putting the ‘fun’ into fundraising!”
If you are interested in taking on a charity challenge in aid of East Kent Hospitals Charity, visit https://www.ekhcharity.org.uk/events/