2012 Bath Half entries sold out - 06 Nov 2011
General public entries for the 2012 Bath Half are now sold out
Corporate Challenge entries (for business teams wishing to fundraise) are also selling fast
For details of reserved places from our Lead Race Charity - Guide Dogs for the Blind - or our other official race charities – see our Charities page
Entries are also open for the Family Fun Run, so all the whole family can get involved on race day
So if you want to run in next year's race, don't delay - ENTER TODAY
2012 Bath Half entries nearly sold out - 04 Nov 2011
2012 BATH HALF ENTRIES NEARLY SOLD OUT
We expect the last few general public entries for the 2012 Bath Half will be sold out within the next 5 - 7 days
Corporate Challenge entries (for business teams) are also selling fast
Entries are also open for the Family Fun Run, so all the whole family can get involved on race day
So if you want to run in next year's race, don't delay - ENTER TODAY
Featured Race Charities announced - 04 Nov 2011
Bath Half announces four new official charities for the upcoming year
The four charities for the 2012 event are Guide Dogs, the Forever Friends Appeal, Quartet Community Foundation and Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
National charity, Guide Dogs will take the Lead role in next year’s Bath Half Marathon; the Featured Race Appeal for 2012 is the Forever Friends Appeal; Quartet Community Foundation, serving an area including Bath and North East Somerset will take the Local Charity spot; and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has been confirmed as the 2012 Fun Run Charity
The new lead race charity is Guide Dogs, which provides mobility and freedom to blind and partially sighted people. They also campaign for the rights of people with visual impairment, educate the public about eye care and fund eye disease research
Tracy Dixon, National Sports and Challenge Events Manager from Guide Dogs for the Blind said: "Guide Dogs are delighted to be the Bath Half Marathon’s lead charity partner for 2012. We are passionate about making the whole experience the best it can be from start to finish for all the runners – race day is set to be truly amazing for everyone”
The Forever Friends Appeal Charity at Bath’s Royal United Hospital (RUH), has been selected as the Featured Race Appeal for 2012. The charity raises funds for state-of-the-art medical equipment and facilities above and beyond that provided by the NHS with the current focus of the charity being on the RUH Space for Cancer Care Campaign
The two phase campaign aims to help transform the RUH cancer services and provide the very best care for all of its cancer patients and their families, as part of the hospital’s cancer strategy
The first phase of the RUH Space for Cancer Care Campaign is to raise £650,000 to purchase a state-of-the-art Gamma-CT Scanner. This combines a traditional Gamma Camera and a CT Scanner, thereby providing very detailed images. These images will both identify even the earliest abnormality and accurately pinpoint its location for subsequent radiotherapy treatment
Events & Community Officer for The Forever Friends Appeal, Jo Hones, commented: “It is wonderful that our new Cancer Care Campaign has been chosen as Featured Appeal for the 2012 Bath Half Marathon - as this is a cause that is close to the hearts of so many people. Everyone who joins Ted’s Team will be part of something very special, as all the funds raised will help to transform the Cancer Services at the RUH and fundraise for the latest technology – a state-of-the-art Gamma-CT Scanner”
The Local Charity for 2012 is Quartet Community Foundation, whose main focus is to change people’s lives for the better across the West of England by enabling a wide variety of donors to fund projects that make a difference where people live and work
Quartet Community Foundation is an independent charity which aims to connect those who care about local good causes with those making a difference, award grants to community groups helping people in greatest need, build permanent endowment to sustain the voluntary sector over the long-term and provide community leadership to solve local problems
Over recent years, Quartet Community Foundation has worked with Bath Half organisers, Running High to develop the Bath Half Marathon Fund, which offers grants to local community groups and charities in the Bath and North East Somerset area
Deb Appleby, Chief Executive of Quartet Community Foundation said: “Since 2003, the Bath Half Marathon Fund, which was established by race organisers Running High Events, has distributed over £73,000 through Quartet Community Foundation to local community groups. This year a total of £15,000 will be given out”
The RNLI, which was last year’s lead race charity, is now the Offical Charity for the Bath Half Family Fun Run, for which entries are now open
The RNLI lifeguards patrol over 90 beaches in the south west helping to keep our beaches and seas safe. RNLI lifeguards go through rigorous, professional training and are equipped with up-to-date equipment in order to carry out their life saving work
The RNLI also provide numerous community education programmes and resources for both children and adults
Carla Rowley, RNLI Lifeguards Event Manager said: “The RNLI has been involved in the Bath Half Marathon for more than five years, and each year the event just gets bigger and better. The feedback from our runners as they cross the finishing line is inspiring; a lot of them have very personal reasons for running for the charity so it’s extremely important that they have a good experience. Last year, over 200 runners raised nearly £37,000 for the charity, money which will go towards funding a local beach safety and education project for young people in the BANES area
“Beach safety for all the family is very much part of the RNLI’s aim to prevent incidents on the beach, so to be the official charity for the Family Fun Run makes a perfect fit. We’re extremely excited to be welcoming both young and old runners to join the RNLI team in 2012”
The Bath Half Marathon supports over 50 local and national charities each year and last year raised approximately £1.5 million for charity
Charity Director, Mel Taylor, from Running High said, “It is fantastic to have such a diverse range of charities on board for the 2012 event. We are very much looking forward to working with all of them in the lead up to the race to encourage entrants to run for their causes and raise as much money as possible to extend the good work they do”
Guide Dogs for the Blind - 2012 Lead Race Charity - 04 Nov 2011
Bath Half Marathon announces Guide Dogs for the Blind as the Lead Race Charity for next year’s race
Guide Dogs provides mobility and freedom to blind and partially sighted people. They also campaign for the rights of people with visual impairment, educate the public about eye care and fund eye disease research
Tracy Dixon, National Sports and Challenge Events Manager from Guide Dogs for the Blind said: "Guide Dogs are delighted to be the Bath Half Marathon’s lead charity partner for 2012. We are passionate about making the whole experience the best it can be from start to finish for all the runners – race day is set to be truly amazing for everyone”
Guide Dogs provide help and support for people such as Jenny Mitchinson from Weston, Bath. Jenny’s husband, Mike had a guide dog until he sadly passed away following a battle with cancer in 2010
Tracy added: “Foster, the guide dog was a tower of strength to Jenny during Mike’s illness and after his death, Jenny contacted the charity to say that her sight had deteriorated and that she wanted to be trained with Foster if she was accepted for a Guide Dog. After thorough assessments, we decided that Jenny was suitable for a Guide Dog and Foster’s bond with Jenny meant they were a match made in heaven
“It's a treat to see them together, and makes me quite emotional. Foster was about 5 and a half when he re-qualified, and is as keen to work and be with Jenny as he ever was with Mike”
