At Swoffers, we’re passionate about giving back to the community. That’s why we’ve launched the Swoffathon, our latest fundraising event, supporting Guernsey Mind. On Sunday 30th July our team will be running 10km, cycling around the island and swimming 25 lengths of the bathing pools! We love a challenge, and this not only brings excitement to the office but also raises funds for a very worthy cause.
How it began
Every month we would nominate three employees to take on a challenge. Inspired by the Waitrose charity box idea, we set up three donation pots, each representing a nominated employee. The office would donate into the pot of the person they’d like to take on the challenge. The employee with the highest amount collected was chosen. Challenges have included a January bathing pool dip, putting on a comedy show and baking for the entire office. All the funds raised then get donated to a charity, chosen by the person who took on the challenge.
How it evolved
When our colleague, Georgia Blumsom, was leaving the Swoffers family, we knew we wanted to mark the occasion in a special way. So, we decided to mix things up and recreate the three challenge pots but for our Sports and Social committee members – Georgia, Steph Best and Courtney Kennedy (Steph was unable to make the date of the challenge and has had to pull out). Instead, the pots set up represented the challenge they would take on – either a ½ marathon, 100km cycle or a kayak around the island. The pot with the most money raised was the challenge they would then train for and complete on Sunday 30th July.
How it took shape
We didn’t stop there. Georgia and Courtney were so inspired they decided to combine all three disciplines to form the Swoffathon – a 10km run, island cycle, and 25 lengths swim of the bathing pools that the whole office could participate in. They have been joined in their mammoth efforts by Alex Stuart, Scott Ingrouille and Annie Rihoy. The Swoffathon is our version of a triathlon, but we’ve mixed up the traditional order of events to make it more challenging and exciting. The team is aiming to finish in under four hours!
Getting into shape
Training is in full swing in preparation for the big day with group sessions three times a week. While it hasn’t been without its challenges (and injuries!), we are a determined team and thanks to our competitive spirit and the fantastic support we’ve received we’re continuing to keep pushing forward. We are looking forward to event and who knows, maybe next year we could open it up to the public.
Supporting Guernsey Mind
As we set our sights on this grand challenge, we couldn’t think of a more deserving charity to support than Mind Guernsey. Mental health is so important, and we’re very grateful for the incredible work Guernsey Mind do. We’re excited to share that we have already surpassed our fundraising target of £750! We’re setting our sights high and want to keep rising as much money as we can.
We’re grateful for any support you can offer, big or small, from cheering us on to donating, it all goes a long way.
Please donate what you can here
