Keeping RBC Race for the Kids green

In honour of all the good that RBC Race for the Kids does for children today, we’ve been working to improve its impact on their future, too - by making the event as sustainable as possible.Over the last ten years, our family 5K, RBC Race for the Kids, has been able to bring the community together and raise over £5,000,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity. In honour of all the good that the race does for children today, we’ve been working to improve its impact on their future, too.

In 2018, we were joined by more than 6,000 wonderful participants. In order to make such a gathering as sustainable as possible, we built a plan to make small but impactful changes.

We started with simple switches, using brown paper instead of plastic for the thousands of race pack envelopes we sent out to attendees. At the event itself, we provided recycled cups instead of plastic water bottles and made our goody bags out of cotton instead of plastic. We also encouraged the public to get involved by reusing old race shirts, bringing their own water bottles, and using public transportation.

Laura Savory, Deputy Director of Community Fundraising, said: “With sustainability at the top of the agenda, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity are continuously exploring ways we can help reduce the impact of our events on the environment. The changes we made to RBC Race for the Kids in 2018 were a great start and we had fantastic feedback from our participants, showing that this is a priority for them as well as us. We’re excited for the further improvements we will be making to the event this year.”

In 2019, we’re really determined to do even better! Here are some of the changes you can expect to see at this year’s RBC Race for the Kids:

• Race day information will be sent digitally rather than printed.
• Event goody bags will use less plastic and be given to children only.
• Standardised branding on medals, goody bags and t-shirts so any extras can be reused in future years.
• Carbon balancing in our necessary printing materials.
• A sustainably sourced wooden medal for all participants.

Sign up for RBC Race for the Kids 2019 today and join in on the fun! Whether you’re walking, running, wheeling or scooting, we look forward to welcoming you to Hyde Park for a memorable celebration of the difference you’ve made.

If you can’t make the race, take a look at our other fundraising events or consider planning your own fundraising event. And remember! Whichever type you choose, there are loads of ways to keep your event sustainable – whether by reducing plastic consumption or by using an online tool for publicity instead of printing flyers or posters.

Any questions about RBC Race for the Kids? Call the team on 020 3841 3131 or email raceforthekids@gosh.org to find out more.