More than 200 people in Leicester – from toddlers through to senior citizens – joined the BAPS Annual Challenge on 28 April 2019.
The annual charity Challenge organised by BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha 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 will go towards supporting BAPS’s multifarious educational, community and spiritual activities in Leicester serving children, youths, families and the elderly.
This year’s event will also support the outstanding work of Charity Link in the local community. Charity Link helps over 5,000 local people throughout Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire who are experiencing poverty, hardship and crisis.
The 2019 Challenge will also be supporting BAPS’s national charity partner, the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) – the UK’s leading charity campaigning and working to protect children from neglect, harm and abuse.
Previous national partners for BAPS and BAPS Charities have included Age UK, the Alzheimer’s Society, the Anthony Nolan Trust, Barnardo’s, Breast Cancer Care, the British Heart Foundation, Carers UK, Diabetes UK, KIDS, and Macmillan Cancer Support.
The event kicked off shortly after 10am from BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Leicester.
After the opening ceremony, walkers, joggers and runners moved along the 10-kilometre route, which took them through the City Centre and then back down through the Golden Mile, eventually returning to the Mandir through Rushey Mead.
One of the lead volunteers for the event, Darshan Patel, shared, “It is wonderful to see so many families taking part in this annual event. Their dedication to come out on a Sunday to support these worthy causes for the local community makes this event such a success.”