More than 60 people – from toddlers through to senior citizens – joined the BAPS Annual 10K Challenge in Southend-on-Sea on Sunday 24 April 2016.
The charity Challenge organised by BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) brought together more than 3,000 enthusiastic participants from towns and cities across the UK for a fun and healthy way to raise money for various worthy causes and local charities.
The funds from this year’s event will go towards BAPS’s multifarious educational, community and spiritual activities serving children, youths, families and the elderly.
Previous national partners, under the auspices of BAPS and BAPS Charities, have included the British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK, Breast Cancer Care, Age UK, Barnardo’s, KIDS, The Anthony Nolan Trust, and Macmillan Cancer Support. Locally, the Challenge has helped Southend University Hospital in the past.
The event kicked off shortly after 10.30am from BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.
After the opening ceremony, walkers, joggers and runners moved along the route down Southchurch Road and along the seafront.
Suchitra Rajesh participated in the Challenge with her one-month-old baby girl and 7-year-old son. She shared: “It was a wonderful experience to be part of this charity walk. Everyone, especially the kids, had a great time, and to see everyone team up was brilliant, especially as it was for such a good cause.”
One of the lead volunteers for the event, Tarshan Patel, added: “This year’s 10K Challenge was a great success in Southend-on-Sea. What was particularly heart-warming was to see so many children take part and really enjoy it. Even from a young age, they are learning the value of giving back to our community.”