Helena Ran the Skegness 10K in Aid of Yorkshire Air Ambulance



Helena Bennett recently completed the Skegness 10K, which since launching has raised over £15,000 for a range of local charities. Organised by the Skegness Coasters, the event takes place on quiet roads in open countryside just outside the seaside town, making it a fun and scenic activity for people of all ages and abilities.

Starting and ending at good old Butlins, the Skegness 10K follows a traffic-free route and sees large numbers of people taking part or cheering on the runners. In 2017, the £7,500 raised went to RNLI Skegness, whereas this year the profits were donated to the regional branch of The Royal British Legion, which provides lifelong support for the Armed Forces community. The organisers of the Skegness 10K decided that this was the perfect cause for 2018, commemorating 100 years since the end of the First World War. The charity continues to help members of the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, Reservists, veterans, and their families.

Runners can also choose to donate their fundraising total to other charities, so Helena thought that the Yorkshire Air Ambulance would be an excellent beneficiary. Working across the Yorkshire and Humber regions, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an independent charity that relies on the generosity of those who support the service to continue to save lives. The organisation needs to raise £12,000 per day to keep both helicopters maintained and in the air, with all donations received going directly towards its life-saving work.

Helena did a fantastic job of completing the run and didn’t walk any of it. Her finish time was 1 hour and 9 minutes, which is a fantastic achievement in aid of a very worthy cause.

“I would like to say a massive thank you to all who have sponsored me,” she says. “I think when all the money has been collected, I will have raised £400, which is amazing. Thank you.”

Though the run has been and gone, you can still donate to Helena’s fundraiser through her JustGiving page. She smashed her online target of £100 but that doesn’t mean you’ve missed your chance to add a little to the pot, and every donation no matter how small will be greatly appreciated.

If you have spare time and want to give something back to your community, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance is constantly looking for volunteers. This involves providing much-needed additional support to the charity by promoting closer working relationships within local communities, increasing fundraising opportunities, developing new initiatives and offering valuable skills and experience. Volunteering is highly flexible and covers all kinds of responsibilities, including registered roles, community event fundraising, public speaking, cheque presentation, and even packing bags in supermarkets, so it really is very easy to pick a level of involvement that suits you. To find out more, visit the Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s volunteering page.

There’s all kinds of charitable activity taking place across SGS Packaging Europe’s offices, so keep up to date by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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