Wigan-based charity thanks supporters as events raise £50k after turning virtual

A runner does the Joining Jack salute at last year's Wigan 10k

Charity Joining Jack has announced the total amount of money collected this year by holding Run Wigan Festival, Wigan Bike Ride and Wigan 10k virtually.

Usually thousands of people take to the streets together to participate in the events, but this year they took on the challenges individually to earn their medals.

The events raised £100,000 in 2019, so while it is a significant drop in income, the money collected this year will ensure research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy can continue.

A statement from Joining Jack said: “Under the guidance of the charity’s trustees, we took the decision to stage all three mass participation events virtually. These were unprecedented times and we weren’t sure of how this would go.

“It’s fair to say, the entire Joining Jack team were completely overwhelmed with the response. The JJ Army rallied and across the three events, with run/ride evidence being emailed in, supporters tagging us in their efforts on social media, and a whopping 2,500+ medals being posted out, we managed to raise a combined £50,000 across the three events.

“We cannot thank our supporters enough. In the current climate, this is a terrific achievement and will help us to continue investing in the work which we hope will take us one step closer to easing and ending the devastation of a Duchenne diagnosis.”

It has provided an important boost for the charity, which lost income through the cancellation of these three major events as well as many other fund-raising activities by its supporters.

Staff were put on furlough to ease the financial burden.

Now preparations are being made for the events to return next year, when it is hoped the current restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic will have eased.

The Run Wigan Festival is usually held in March, with participants able to choose between a half marathon, 10-miler, 5k and family mile.

It is followed in the summer by the Wigan Bike Ride, which has a 50-mile main ride and a five-mile family ride.

And the Wigan 10k, along with a family mile, usually takes place in September.

Dates for next year’s events have not yet been announced by Joining Jack due to the ongoing pandemic.

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