Want to help Waterloo Uncovered and have fun doing it? Take the 2.6 Challenge and raise money to support us while beating the lockdown boredom! Read on to find out what the 2.6 Challenge is all about and how you can get involved.
WHAT IS THE 2.6 CHALLENGE?
In light of Coronavirus, charities in the UK are struggling more than ever, with many fighting to stay afloat and having to cut or adapt essential services and staff. Due to the necessity of lockdown, we have lost the ability to hold events and fundraisers, a vital part of the charity sector’s survival. One of the events that had to be cancelled was the world’s biggest fundraising event: the London Marathon, which raised £66.4 million for thousands of charities last year, and was this year cancelled for the first time in its history. Without the money raised by the London Marathon and other fundraising events, the UK’s charities are at serious risk of collapse – putting the vulnerable people and services that rely on them at risk, too.
In response, the fantastic 2.6 Challenge was created to help the UK’s charities. Instead of running the 26 miles of the London Marathon, participants can do 2.6, 26 or 260 of anything they want to raise money for the charity of their choice! For more information, please see the 2.6 Challenge website.
Like many charities, we have been affected by Coronavirus, and have unfortunately had to cancel our summer excavation in Belgium. Instead, we have designed an engaging virtual programme to replace 2020’s dig, in order to continue to provide essential support to veterans and serving military personnel throughout the lockdown period and beyond. To keep this programme running and make sure it is successful, we need your support now more than ever.
For this reason, Waterloo Uncovered will be launching our own 2.6 Challenge campaign, which will run from the 18th of May to the 18th of June. We’re asking our supporters and their friends and family to come up with a 2.6 Challenge they can take on before the 18th of June, to raise money for our veteran support programme. You can take on absolutely any challenge you can come up with, as long as it’s in a multiple of 2.6 — just use your imagination! You could do 2.6 laps of your garden in roller?skates, try your hand at 260 push ups, or put on your favourite songs and dance for 26 minutes straight. If you’re not the sporty type, don’t worry, there are plenty of different ways to get involved. For example, you could bake 26 cookies, paint a picture in 26 minutes, or help your children build a 2.6 metre high Lego tower – anything you can think of to raise money. Below, we’ll explain how you can donate or set up a fundraising page to allow your friends and family to sponsor you. If you’re a little stuck for challenge ideas, try heading to twitter and looking through the #TwoPointSixChallenge hashtag for inspiration.
The challenge will end on the 18th of June (the 205th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo and WU’s 5th anniversary!), when a group of 10 WU veterans, staff and supporters will each be completing 2.6 miles of a 26 mile relay march from 05:15 to 18:15! The last 2.6 miles of the march will be carried out by Coldstream Guards 1815 reenactor and friend of WU Clive Jones (above), in his full period accurate Coldstream Guards uniform. We’re hoping to raise £1815 via our official JustGiving page before the 18th of June to continue our vital work in veteran welfare and recovery in spite of the Coronavirus crisis.
Would you like to take on the 2.6 Challenge yourself? Keep reading to find out how!
HOW DO I TAKE PART IN THE 2.6 CHALLENGE?
Getting involved in simple, easy, and most importantly loads of fun. All you have to do is:
- Pick a challenge that revolves around the number 2.6. That could be walking 2.6 miles, staying in fancy dress for 26 hours, or doing 260 star jumps. Be creative! If you’re a little stuck for ideas, try heading to twitter and looking through the #TwoPointSixChallenge hashtag for inspiration.
- Decide how you are going to raise money. By visiting our JustGiving page here and clicking ‘Start Fundraising’, you can set up your own fundraising page and ask your friends and family to sponsor you, or by clicking ‘Donate’, you can directly help us reach our £1815 goal.
- Let everyone know what you’re doing, and ask your friends and family to support you. Make sure you use the hashtag #TwoPointSixChallenge if you post about your challenge on social media, and tag Waterloo Uncovered so we can see it, too! We’re @digwaterloo on twitter, @waterloo_uncovered on Instagram, and you can search for Waterloo Uncovered to find us on Facebook. If possible, please share a photo or 10 second video of your challenge with us via social media, so we can see your hard work and show our appreciation.
- Encourage your friends and family to donate or to take on the challenge themselves!
REMIND ME HOW I DONATE OR START A FUNDRAISER?
There are two main ways you can raise money for Waterloo Uncovered as part of the 2.6 Challenge: make a donation or start a fundraiser. We’re grateful for any amount you’re willing to give and for everyone who can donate or fundraise to support us in these difficult times.
DONATE:
Have you completed your challenge? Can’t complete a challenge but still want to donate? You can donate directly to Waterloo Uncovered and help us meet our goal here.
FUNDRAISE:
You can start your own JustGiving page and ask your friends and family to sponsor you by heading to our JustGiving page here and clicking the ‘Start Fundraising’ button on the right hand side of the page.
When sharing your challenge on social media, make sure you use the hashtag #TwoPointSixChallenge and tag our social media accounts too!
WE’RE HERE TO HELP:
We are happy to talk with you about how to make your fundraiser more successful! Contact Kate at k.scott@waterloouncovered.com for tips, creative challenge ideas, or questions about fundraising for us.
Remember, our campaign ends on the 18th of June, so you have until then to get involved!