Hackney Half Heroes raise thousands for BID

On Sunday 26th September eleven runners took on the Hackney Half Marathon raising over £7,200 for BID’s work providing free legal advice to people locked up indefinitely in detention centres across the UK. 

Sporting our bright blue kit, the team joined over 15,000 people as they ran an incredible 13.1 miles through London with fans, bands and DJs cheering them on from start to finish.  We caught up with some of those who took part to hear all about the day.

“It was important to raise awareness about how awful the system is to people who are so often vulnerable” – Rafaela

"I think BID's work - from helping people who are detained to campaigning for an end to immigration detention - is incredible and deserves all the support. I also thought it was important to raise awareness about how awful the system is to people who are so often vulnerable and I really hope I was able to bring some attention to it with my fundraising. 

I mainly shared my fundraising page on social media explaining why I think it is so important that there is an end to immigration detention. I think it helped to say why it mattered so much to me.

I think it got harder as the finish line got closer. But the cheering and the music really helped. The atmosphere was amazing throughout the race but crossing the finish line was definitely a highlight. The route was beautiful and the little BID celebration afterwards was lovely!

I would definitely recommend taking part. It is an amazing feeling to see so many people working towards the same goal, while so many of them are fundraising for different causes. It's a good way to get in shape and a great excuse to go to the pub afterwards!"

“Raising funds for BID was a way of showing support and solidarity with those bearing the brunt of this government's policies” - Mayer

"The work of BID is absolutely vital with the current government's treatment and attitude towards asylum seekers and detainees. Even people born in this country are not safe as we've seen throughout the Windrush scandal. So raising funds for BID was a way of showing support and solidarity with those bearing the brunt of this government's policies.

The day was fantastic. Running alongside my Dad was something I'll always remember.

Also, the conditions were perfect and I loved seeing some familiar faces along the route. I just felt happy and proud that we'd managed it and raised a lot more than I expected.
The run itself is far longer than I'm used to so that was a challenge. I overcame this with the power of soulful house music which makes running infinitely easier for me!

We fundraised mainly through writing to family and friends via email and social media. We'd never done anything like this before so I think people were keen to support as well as it being such a crucial cause.

If you’re thinking about taking part go for it! It's a great day and more than anything it's a lot of fun.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part and all those that supported them. If you’d like to hear about opportunities to take on a challenge for BID, sign up to our mailing list."

“I only took up 'serious' running 11 months ago, during lockdown!” -  Norman

“Obviously it is wonderful that we raised so much money for such an important cause.

 Mayer, my son, recruited me for this project, which I was very happy to do. I only took up 'serious' running 11 months ago, during lockdown! I have never done an organised run before, and I have never sought charitable donations in this way from friends and colleagues. So it was an entirely new experience for me in many different ways!

The whole day was really lovely. Despite having been able to do quite a lot of training over 13 miles, I found the actual run quite tough. Running almost the whole route alongside Mayer helped a lot, and we agreed to start slowly, so that our fastest quarter was the last one. 

The finish, and then meeting you and the other BIDers was great fun.”

“I am proud of the funds we raised to support some of the most vulnerable in our community”- Adam

"I decided to run the Hackney Half Marathon this year to try and lose some lockdown pounds and thought it the perfect opportunity to raise money for BID. Sadly, this government continues cranking up anti-immigration rhetoric and so the work BID does seems more urgent than ever. I also know from first-hand experience how the far money goes at small charity like BID and what a difference they make to the lives of the people they support. 

I was pretty nervous on race day because my training had been interrupted by laziness and gluttony. At the start line we were lucky to have perfect conditions for running, the weather neither too hot nor cold, and I set off in high spirits. As the run wore on, my legs grew heavier and my energy reserves diminished. I was thankful to the crowds of cheering onlookers who motivated me to get round in a respectable 1 hour 42 minutes. I met the finish line with equal parts relief and exhaustion. From there I made my way to the pre-arranged meeting area where I shared a glass of bubbly and tales of my exertions with other members of the BID team. 

I mainly raised sponsorship through spamming my loved ones on social media. My most successful money raising strategy was to persuade my popular sister-in-law to also run for BID and she was able to raise about twice as much as me. 

All in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable day and I am proud of the funds we raised to support some of the most vulnerable in our community. I would highly recommend running the Hackney Half for BID and I will be there again next year."

We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part and all those that supported them. If you’d like to hear about opportunities to take on a challenge for BID, sign up to our mailing list.

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