More than 600 people – from toddlers through to senior citizens – came together to participate in the BAPS Annual Charity Challenge on Sunday 4 August 2024 at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London.
The participants walked, jogged and some even ran 10 kilometres in a fun-filled family and community event that raised vital funds for various good causes.
The Annual Charity Challenge was a nationwide effort that brought together more than 3,000 enthusiastic participants from towns and cities across the country for a fun and healthy way to raise money for various worthy causes and local charities.
The funds will support BAPS’s multifarious educational, community, and spiritual activities in London, which serves children, youths, families, and the elderly.
The 2024 Challenge will also support BAPS’s local charity partner The Felix Project, which collects fresh, nutritious food and delivers it to charities and schools to provide healthy meals for the most vulnerable, including the homeless.
Previous national partners for BAPS and BAPS Charities have included the NSPCC, 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. Locally, in London, the Challenge has helped Brent Foodbank (The Trussell Trust) in recent years.
There were also games organised for the whole family after the Challenge, and many refreshments provided along the way to keep walkers, joggers and runners hydrated and energised. The enjoyable, healthy day out with friends and family made a real, lasting impact by promoting active lifestyles and supporting the work of local charities and good causes.
Sallinder Rai, Community Events & Fundraising Manager at The Felix Project, was also present at the opening ceremony. In a short address before the walk began, Ms Rai thanked BAPS for its continuing efforts in serving the wider community. She said, “I was truly honoured to be invited to open the BAPS Annual Charity 10K and witness hundreds of community members coming together to raise funds for The Felix Project. Thank you for choosing to support our work across London and I look forward to our continued working together in making a difference to so many Londoners and families currently struggling.”
Jay C. Patel, a leading volunteer for BAPS in London, explained, “His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj inspires us to support others, particularly during a cost-of-living crisis that continues to impact so many. We know this is a very difficult time for many charities and we are grateful to be able to support the brilliant work of The Felix Project once again”