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British Ambassador’s running charity campaign has reached its aim
Ministers, sportsmen and artists ran for children in poverty
Iain Lindsay, British Ambassador to Hungary has started a running charity campaign and fundraising to support HIA’s programme which is helping children in poverty. The call was launched in May and in two weeks 25 public figures and celebrities has joined the challenge. Besides running more than the planned 221 kilmoteres of Lake Balaton, participants on their social media platforms encouraged people to donate. More than half million forints has arrived for the good cause and although the running challenge has came to an end, until the end of June anyone can help children who are in an even harder situation now because of the pandemic.
Iain Lindsay lead the charity running team of the Hungarian Interchurch Aid in the previous years. Because of the coronavirus one of the most popular running race’s date was postponed to the Autumn of 2020, but unfortunately, Iain Lindsay will leave Budapest by October. Although, Ambassador Lindsay cannot accomplish the race at Lake Balaton, he decided to undertake the charity part: Ambassador Lindsay ran way more this year than he originally planned: he ran 46 kilometres overall. For a section he ran together with Katalin Novák, Minister of State, then, he and former citizen of Liverpool, Ádám Bogdán football goalkeeper accomplished another section together.
Iain Lindsay in the call on his social media platform has addressed many enthusiastic runners as public figures and celebrities who he met in his years of living in Budapest. The participants of the challenge who happily performed the kilometres were Vivien Mádai, Kriszta Rátonyi and Levente Harsányi show presenters, Kati Wolf and Csaba Vastag singers, István Koko Kovács and Gergely Kiss Olympic champions. Until the last Sunday of May many others joined the challenge: Ervin Nagy actor, Alexandra Borbély, Angéla Eke, Éva Bátyai, Eszter Kardos, Fruzsina Görgényi and Dia Nyári actresses, Tibor Kocsis and Adrienn Nagy singers, Gábor Garami and Zoltán Somogyi radio hosts from the team of Sláger FM, Attila Katus aerobic World Champion, Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Judit Varga, Minister of Justice and Balázs Rigó Vice Mayor of Tata.
The British Ambassador summarised the successful campaing as the following: „The coronavirus gave us an opportunity to think about ourselves and offered a chance to think and care about those to whom this period is especially tough. This is also an opportunity to help the ones who suffer from the impacts of the pandemic.”
Kristóf Gáncs, Communications Director of HIA said: „We are very grateful to Iain Lindsay for leading HIA’s running team again and it is a great happiness to see that his call has raised many people’s attention to donate.” He added: „Every year May is the month of the children at HIA. Besides collecting kilometres we started a fundraising for our programme that supports children in poverty. Because of the coronavirus Children’s Day events and the fundraising went online as well.” Gáncs said: „The other main goal of the fundraising is to increase the financial source of the summer camps for the children in need.”
HIA has been helping children in need to fight against poverty in 13 locations of the country. Besides the development programmes and social events each year thousands of children receive food, clothes or school equipment donations. HIA continues to help these children in the times of the pandemic as well: after the suspension of personal meetings, our colleagues kept in touch with the families on phone and online, often sent donations without meeting personally.