Team Run Geordie Run was setup in 2010. Its sole purpose was to use the Run Geordie Run brand to attract people to raise funds for St. Benedict’s Hospice who otherwise would not do so by taking part in the Great North Run.
For the first five years, runners who had secured their own place in the Great North Run made up the team. £7000 was raised for St. Benedict’s Hospice and subsequently The Children’s Foundation during this time. The average size of the team was five people who did very well to raise the sum that they did.
It wasn’t until SOS Group got involved in 2015 that Team Run Geordie Run’s fundraising was taken to a whole new level. This was achieved by using a combination of charity places secured by The Children’s Foundation and a small sum of money provided by SOS Group to reduce the cost of entry and also provide a quality finish line goodie bag and commemorative t-shirt or vest.
The reduced entry cost appealed to more runners than had shown interest in previous years. As a result, from 2015 – 2018, the average size of the team grew to 25. £12,048.50 was raised in 2015 for The Children’s Foundation and SOS backing proved to be a huge success straight away. It seemed to be a classic case of “speculate to accumulate”.
In 2016, the retention of some of the 2015 team together with some new runners saw £10,000 raised for The Children’s Foundation. SOS Group paid the entry fee for those high performing fundraisers in 2015 and this helped to continue the higher than average total raised per person. A slightly higher spend by SOS Group in 2016 saw the goodie bag contain a golden bottle of Prosecco. This helped commemorate the Olympic games of that year. Medals were also given out to the top three Team Run Geordie Run finishers.
Once again, SOS Group paid entry fees for high earning fundraisers in 2017. This saw an increased retention of runners from previous years as well as the highest number of new runners. 2017 was the biggest team to date and £18,684.10 was raised for The Children’s Foundation. This particular year saw four exceptional fundraisers raise £8,000 of the final amount between them.
The formula for success was repeated again in 2018. In line with the main Run Geordie Run campaign, it was St. Benedict’s Hospice who provided the Great North Run charity places this year. SOS Group helped to reduce the cost of entry fees to those people who signed up early. They also paid for the ever popular finish line goodie bag as well as the dashing Team Run Geordie Run commemorative t-shirts and vests. 2018 saw the highest average amount raised per person. With a slightly smaller team, £10,561.62 was raised.
It took Team Run Geordie Run five years to raise £7,000. Since SOS Group got involved, a further £51,294.22 has been raised over the last four years. This means that, to date, an amazing £58,294.22 has been raised for St Benedict’s Hospice and The Children’s Foundation by Team Run Geordie Run runners.
There is always a healthy pressure for Team Run Geordie Run to raise a five figure sum for local good causes these days. With the likes of SOS Group backing the project hopefully this will continue for years to come.
