Ricky Road Run has been a proud charity fundraising event for over 40 years, and is run on a not for profit basis. All proceeds from registration and corporate sponsorship will be split between the following charities:
WaterAid
WaterAid is working to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. The international not-for-profit organisation works in 28 countries to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 27 million people with clean water and 27 million people with decent toilets.
Affinity Water has been a long-standing supporter of WaterAid for almost 40 years. Each year, with the support of our employees, customers, and partners, we are committed to fundraising, through events such as the Ricky Road Run, as well as campaigning and raising awareness of WaterAid’s work across the globe.
The Ricky Road Run is the longest standing fundraising event for WaterAid. Since 1984, the funds raised through this event have already changed lives for the better in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world.
We’ve made amazing progress, but we can’t stop now. Together, we can reach the millions of people still living without the essentials they need to live dignified, healthy lives.
Visit the WaterAid website: www.wateraid.org/uk
KitAid
KitAid is a charity that recycles your once loved football kit and distributes it to underprivileged children and adults in some of the world’s poorest countries and communities.
It was set up by one of Affinity Water’s employees, Derrick Williams MBE, who visited Tanzania on a WaterAid supporters’ trip in 1998. Derrick was also one of the co-founders of the very first Ricky Road Run in 1984 and went on to organise the following 20 annual events.
Since 1998 KitAid has donated over 700,000 items of kit to projects in 55 different countries. It is run entirely by volunteers and operates on a small budget of less than £10,000 per annum. Kits are donated by Clubs across the whole football pyramid, from Manchester United to Harpenden Town Colts and it has regional helpers all across the UK. In 2021 it also launched KitAid Australia where kits will be donated to projects in the Indo Pacific region as well as to indigenous school projects in the Northern Territory.
KitAid would like to thank the Ricky Road Run organising team, the volunteers and all of the runners for supporting our work. We wish you good luck in your virtual runs and hope you choose a course that doesn’t have as many hills!
Visit the KitAid website: www.kitaid.net
Small Acts of Kindness
We reduce loneliness and isolation for older and vulnerable people, one small act of kindness at a time.
On one of the coldest days, during the winter of 2014, Lynne Misner, Small Acts of Kindness Founder and CEO, found herself with a broken boiler and no immediate fix available. She endured days of cold and misery until the problem could be resolved.
As she wrapped up under blankets to keep warm, she happened to read an article about how many older people spend every winter feeling as cold as she was now. Mostly living alone, they often could not afford to heat their homes adequately or had the perception that it was frivolous to do so. The negative impact such cold conditions could have on both their physical and mental wellbeing were potentially devastating.
Having been a volunteer, working with older people, Lynne had seen first hand the effects being lonely and isolated could have and so felt compelled to do something.
After researching the most effective way for older people to keep warm, Lynne created the concept of ‘Warm in Winter’ gift bags, which would be filled with essential, practical items such as a blanket, hat, gloves and hot drinks. Literature was also included providing information that signposted recipients to support, services and activities, helping them to break out of the cycle of cold and loneliness.
After sourcing these supplies, friends and volunteers helped her to pack the first 50 Warm in Winter gift bags and, with the help of local care organisations, vulnerable members of the community were identified, who would be the first recipients.
Almost immediately Lynne started to receive heart-warming letters of thanks from people who were genuinely surprised that someone cared enough to give them such a gift. The gift bags were clearly making a difference to their lives.
From this, Small Acts of Kindness was born. The following year, around 1000 gift bags were packed and distributed, a figure that has been increasing ever since.
Lynne gave up her full-time job in 2017 to run Small Acts of Kindness, which was registered as a charity in early 2018, by which time over 9,000 Warm in Winter gift bags had been sourced, packed and distributed across Hertfordshire.
While the Warm in Winter gift bags are at the heart of what we do, our work centres around reducing loneliness and isolation for vulnerable older people by connecting communities with kindness. In 2020, during the Covid pandemic we began working in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council and HertsHelp, sourcing and packing ‘Bags of Kindness’ which were then distributed to clinically extremely vulnerable people, many of whom were shielding, feeling lonely and isolated. Following its success, we continue to deliver this project, funded by Hertfordshire County Council reaching thousands of vulnerable residents across Hertfordshire.
In 2021, Small Acts of Kindness was honoured to receive The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.
Further expansion came in 2022 when we extended our reach into Bedfordshire. This was made possible through funding from The Fore, which helps the development of innovative young charities and social enterprises.
In 2023 we were approached to deliver other projects for Hertfordshire County Council, utilising our expertise and skills to source and pack gift bags for vulnerable groups.
Learn more: www.smallactsofkindness.co.uk