After the 2019 Chichester Half Marathon boasted its highest registration numbers to date; co-organisers Children on the Edge will be stepping out on a high, passing full responsibility for the management of the event to their partners, Everyone Active.
 
Chichester based charity Children on the Edge revived the annual running event in 2011 together with Chichester District Council (latterly Everyone Active) and have continued to grow the race ever since, with profits going to their work with marginalised children around the world.
 
Ben Wilkes, the charity’s Executive Director says “It’s been a privilege to revive this much-loved event and to see it become increasingly popular on the Chichester calendar over the last eight years.”
 
Entering its 30th year in 2020, Children on the Edge now supports over 10,000 refugee children with a small staff team based in Chichester. Wilkes says, “We’ve been delighted at the high numbers, but as a small charity we feel that the time is right to pass the baton to Everyone Active, enabling us to focus on recruiting charity runners and invest more time in meeting the growing need we are seeing in the areas where we work”.
 
Having partnered with Children on the Edge to deliver the event for the last few years, Everyone Active is well versed in the organisation of The Chichester Half. The multi terrain event sits comfortably in the collection of large-scale sporting events they deliver in the area throughout the year, including the Midhurst Ramble Sportive and Nature’s Way Foods Chichester Triathlon Series.

Stuart Mills, Contract Manager for Everyone Active says “It has been great to work alongside Children on the Edge for so many years, supporting such a worthy cause and delivering one of the most popular local running events. We are excited for the future of the event and all set to make the 2020 Chichester Half the best race yet. This city and its surrounds offer an incredible backdrop to getting active and the multi terrain Chichester Half event is one of the best ways to enjoy it”.  
 
The 2020 Chichester Half Marathon is set to take place on the 4th October and early bird offers will be launched in the New Year. Runners can find out more and register their interest by clicking this link. 

This Christmas give someone a Children on the Edge inspired gift and help bring hope, life, colour and fun to forgotten children around the world. ​

* Thanks to the generosity of Montezuma’s they have donated Chocolate bars to Children on the Edge, so that all your donation goes to the work of Children on the Edge. ​

October 8th 2017, we held the sixth annual Children on the Edge Chichester Half Marathon, raising a record-breaking £33, 294 for our work with vulnerable children around the world.

The event has been growing year-on-year and we were delighted to have a record 1160 runners register for this year's race in one of three popular events - the Half Marathon, Ten Miler and Team Relay. 

Organised in conjunction with Everyone Active, the event is one of our key fundraising events throughout the year. It is only made possible thanks to the support of our local sponsors; Montezuma’s Chocolates and Store Property who have generously supported the event each year since is was revived in 2012.

The race has become a popular date in the diary for runners across the South, especially with our challenging multi-terrain course over the Downs taking in the Trundle and Centurion Way.
 
Ben Wilkes, UK Director at Children on the Edge said:
 
“This year's race raised a record £33,294, which will make a huge difference to our work with vulnerable children. We are grateful to all our runners, sponsors and supporters who make the event possible and we continue to be blown away by the support we receive from the local community. It’s great to see the event growing year on year and we look forward to next year's race on Sunday 7th October!"

Children on the Edge would like to thank local businesses Chichester College, Covers, Evans Weir, Gnarly Tree, Harries Coffee, Krowmark Workwear, Natures Way Foods, The Run Company, South Downs Water and Wiley for all their support to make the event happen. We couldn't do it without them.

Along with our regular runners, we also had a fantastic team of runners all raising money for Children on the Edge as part of our Run for Refugees Team. Our 25 fundraisers raised an incredible £7,096 for our work with refugee children in Bangladesh and Lebanon. This included, Mrs Salmond Smith, Mr Bromfield & Mr Brittain, teachers from Prebendal School in Chichester, who took part in the Team Relay and raised £255.

​Nicky Hellard has volunteered at the Chichester Half Marathon for the past two years and this year decided to run instead. She didn't believe she could finish the race; but took on the challenge, trained hard and built her confidence each week with longer runs, raising £322 in the process.

When asked what she'd say to someone else thinking about fundraising for Children on the Edge she said: 
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"It is a great charity that does wonderful work right in the front line with the most vulnerable and overlooked children in the world. As charities go they are one of the best, the staff are dedicated and the overheads are extremely low".

We are enormously grateful to everyone who took part, raised money, or supported the event as a volunteer or spectator. We can't wait to see you again next year!

Do you want to take on a challenge for Children on the Edge? Find out how.

We're currently looking for a Trusts and Foundations Research Volunteer to help us for 1 day a week for 3 - 6 months in our offices in Chichester, West Sussex. Could you help? Or maybe you know someone who can?

Volunteering with Children on the Edge is a great way to support real and lasting change to the lives of vulnerable children. If you're looking for a career change, or a are a student or graduate who would like to get into International Development, then this volunteer role is a perfect opportunity to gain some valuable hands-on experience in the sector. Our own staff know only too well, that this type of experience can make a huge difference when applying for jobs with NGOs in the UK or abroad. As a small organisation, you will get the chance to really get 'stuck in' with our work, and understand what we do and how we do it. 

What's involved? 
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As Trusts and Foundations volunteer, you will spend time researching trusts, foundations and any other potential funding opportunities for Children on the Edge, from within the UK, Europe and internationally. You will be directly supporting our Grants Officer, Sarah, who makes applications to funders, reports on all our projects around the world and brings in vital funding for our work. By supporting Sarah, you will be making a direct difference to the lives of vulnerable children around the world and helping to ensure our projects are successfully funded.

As part of the role, you will develop an in depth understanding of Children on the Edge and our work around the world and for the right person, there is scope to write small funding applications and project reports.

You can find out more about the role and exactly what's involved in the Role Description.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for an organised, methodical and enthusiastic individual, educated to A-level standard or higher. You'll need to have a basic understanding of, and an interest in the work of Children on the Edge, International Development and fundraising.. With excellent written and verbal communication skills, attention to detail and a proficiency in Word/Pages, Excel/Numbers and internet search engines, you'll be able to organise your work and use your own initiative and nouse to research potential funding opportunities. We'd love you to have an understanding of and some experience in using databases (e.g. Salesforce), but we can show you the ropes if not.

We'll provide plenty of support to get you started; and our lovely team in Chichester are great at making tea and providing biscuits to keep you sustained while you're with us. Our two office dogs, Otto and Monty will also make you feel welcome, especially around lunch time!

The nitty gritty

If you are interested in this role, please send a copy of your CV and a cover letter outlining how you fit the qualities and skills outlined in the role description before midday on 9th June 2017 to:

Sarah Collinson, Grants Officer: sarahcollinson@childrenontheedge.org

• Trusts and Foundations Research Volunteer
• 1 day per week, 3-6 months
• Application deadline: Midday 9th June 2017
• Interviews held: 19th June 2017
• Download the Role Description

  
If you'd an informal chat about the role, or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call or email Sarah Collinson on 01243 538530 |  sarahcollinson@childrenontheedge.org