£47m mass participation event returns to London after two-year Covid break

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) Children’s Charity’s RBC Race for the Kids event is to return to London for the first time since it was put on hold due to the Covid pandemic.

The 5k running event was last staged as a mass participation event in the capital in 2019 but had pivoted to a virtual fundraiser over the last two years due to lockdowns and social distancing guidelines. This online element will remain in place this year.

The in-person event will take place in Hyde Park, London, on 8 October and is the 13th time GOSH charity will host the global event created by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)

To date it has raised more than £47m globally.

Meanwhile the virtual element takes place between 1-9 October and allows people to complete the race in their local area.

Adult registration for the in-person event is £21.50, with money raised donated to the hospital charity’s appeals around research, medical equipment, and support services.

“We are delighted that this year’s RBC Race for the Kids will return to its home of Hyde Park in October,” said GOSH Charity chief executive Louise Parkes.

“This will be GOSH Charity’s first in-person mass participation event since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and what a joy it will be to raise money for seriously ill children at GOSH as part of a big group once again.

“The hybrid nature of this year’s event means that people can take part closer to their homes too, and after the success of our virtual race events in 2020 and 2021.”

Meet Gabriel.

Gabriel was under GOSH’s care for a form of acute lymphoblastic lymphoma - a type of cancer that affects white blood cells - for just over three years.

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— GOSHCharity (@GOSHCharity) July 29, 2022

RBC Europe chief executive Dave Thomas added: “RBC Race for the Kids is an annual highlight for us all at Royal Bank of Canada, but this year is particularly special as it will be in-person for the first time since 2019.

“We look forward to joining our clients, colleagues, and friends and family in Hyde Park to support the fantastic work of GOSH Charity.”

Analysis of the 25 biggest fundraising events in the UK that took place in 2021 raised more than £96m. The analysis by consultancy Massive found that running and walking events were particularly popular post pandemic as it gave people a chance to meet up following a period of lockdowns.