DASH FOR DASH

MEMORIES OF OUR 2021 CHALLENGE

Thank you to everyone who joined us on our 2021 quest to raise money for DASH by running the length of the UK.

Virtual Team Challenge

At the end of 2020 we were thinking about fun ways to raise money as a team for our chosen charity DASH. A Land’s End to John o’Groats 874 mile run/walk, broken up between the Planning House team across the year seemed like the perfect solution! And to spice things up a little, we decided to open up the challenge and invite other groups to get involved… with the promise of a TROPHY for whoever completed the 874 miles first!!

Little did we think that 60+ people would get involved in the challenge, which as we write this, is now complete!

When we first came up with the idea of a running/walking challenge, the main aim was to help get the Planning House team out of the house during lockdown. We were all working from home, most of us home-schooling and Chris in particular wanted to set the team a challenge that would help their emotional wellbeing… what better way that getting some fresh air and a bit of exercise! As we wanted to show our support for DASH, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

It’s fair to say that none of us expected to enjoy the challenge as much as we have. There was a lovely sense of community as more runners got on board. We had lots of fun receiving weekly updates and postcards to mark our progress on the challenge from Ingrid (Honey Bee Creative) – feedback from other participants suggests this has helped motivate them too.

It’s fair to say that we didn’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves or other participants (we are in the middle of a global pandemic after all – there’s enough pressure out there)! So we are absolutely thrilled that all runners have completed the challenge… and that we have managed to raise over £2000 for DASH.

Whilst we are delighted that EVERYONE completed the challenge and received a medal, there were a few special awards…

👉 First team to complete the challenge: The Parky Blinders
👉 First Solo runner to complete the challenge: Janice Kelly (AKA Mad Runner)
👉 Most money raised for DASH charity: Gary Norman (AKA Wandering Vicar)

Well done to everyone, but an especially big pat on the back to these guys!

The #DASHforDASH 2021 challenge will definitely hold a special place in our memories. Here are a few pics from our DASH challengers STRAVA app from the last year…

ABOUT DASH

DASH (Durham Action on Single Housing) is a small, local charity that provides accommodation with support to people who are homeless or are about to become homeless.

They are able to accommodate up to 63 people in a variety of properties on short, medium, or long-term agreements.  Their aim is to provide a supportive and stable environment to give people the best chance of addressing the problems that caused their homelessness and give people the opportunity to move into independence.

As Town Planners, homelessness and housing is an issue we take very seriously. We were so impressed with the ethos and services delivered by DASH that we knew we wanted to help straight away!

Thank you for supporting our 2021 challenge!