On the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of September we held our main fundraising event of the year, the Spinathon 2022.
The Spinathon consisted of Emmaus SLC companions, staff, trustees and friends all taking an hour slot each to ride on a static exercise bike for a total of 24 hours straight. The purpose of the Spinathon was to raise funds for Emmaus communities in Ukraine, Poland and Romania who are supporting refugees. Solidarity is a key element of Emmaus and as a community we are prepared to do whatever we can to provide assistance for those who need it.
The Spinathon began at 4pm on the Saturday by good friend of Emmaus SLC, Shannon, and the final hour shift was completed by our CEO, James Hayes, at 4pm on the Sunday.
A number of our Companions took on the more unattractive shifts during the night, and our Chair of Trustees Jon Pallas came in very early on the Sunday morning for an hour. The Spinathon was certainly a test of the endurance and athletic capabilities of everyone taking part. The common refrain by participants was that whilst the legs were reasonably fine, it was the discomfort in the posterior region that made the hour seem long. Some enthusiastic participants even cycled for more than one slot! We ended up covering an estimated distance of 650km (406 miles), which is the equivalent of cycling London to Glasgow, the Emmaus community furthest from us in distance.
We want to applaud everyone who took part. We would also like to thank all the individual donors who have contributed to our fundraising efforts for this Spinathon. In addition, we are very grateful to a number of other Emmaus communities in the UK, who have supported us financially with this event.
As of writing this we are within touching distance of reaching our goal of £2,500, and we will be keeping the JustGiving page open until the end of September. You are still able to donate here:-
To find out more about the brilliant work Emmaus Europe is doing to help the Ukraine please visit their website for more information.
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