Thursday the 18th of June was a special day for us here at Waterloo Uncovered – not only was it the 205th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, but it was also our fifth anniversary! To celebrate, we released a whole week of exclusive new content on our website in an event known as Waterloo Week. You can still explore all of our Waterloo Week content (including an exclusive lecture with Time Team’s Phil Harding and a brand new podcast!) here, or see what else we have to offer here.
Thursday was also the final day of our 2.6 Challenge fundraising campaign. In case you missed it, the 2.6 Challenge – which involves doing 2.6, 26 or 260 of anything at all to raise money – was designed to help struggling UK charities raise much needed funds in a period where mass gatherings and fundraising events have had to be cancelled. Last month, we launched our own version of the challenge to support our Virtual Veterans’ Programme, a series of lectures and activities designed to replace the 2020 Summer Excavation postponed due to coronavirus.
Our community stepped up to the challenge – over the last month, we’ve seen an amazing array of creative, active and unique challenges taken on to support us and our veteran beneficiaries. From pasta making to military marching, and from marathon cycling to sketching, we’ve seen it all! You can see a list of what everyone has been up to by heading to our fundraising page here – and, if you missed the challenge, you can still make a donation until the end of the month. On the final day of the challenge, our team carried out a marathon 26 mile relay march, in which community members from the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and the USA marched at least 2.6 miles each to support us! We’re so grateful to everyone who took on a 2.6 Challenge for Waterloo Uncovered, everyone who marched with us, and everyone who donated to help us through this difficult time. Without you, our work would not be possible, as we rely on donations from the general public, organisations and charities. Every contribution makes a difference, and with your support we hope to continue uncovering the past and transforming futures for many years to come.
Through your support and generosity, we are pleased to announce that we have raised £12,750!
It costs £3,000 to fund one veteran’s participation in our Virtual Programme and provide ongoing welfare support for our beneficiaries. While our 2.6 challenge campaign has allowed us to assist at least 4 veterans, we still need your help. If you didn’t get a chance to donate but would still like to help us, you can donate here, or contact k.scott@waterloouncovered.com to learn how you can become a long term supporter of Waterloo Uncovered.