Returning Hackney1000 charity drive adapts for lockdown life with online challenges

A local charity is planning to bring back the Hackney1000 community challenge “a bit differently” this year, in an adaptation to lockdown life.

Hackney Quest ran the challenge between 2011 and 2017, with crowds of locals descending on Well Street Common to run, walk, skip, and cycle their way to 1000 kilometres as a community.

Many of the people involved in Hackney Quest had signed up to run the now-cancelled Hackney Half Marathon, prompting the organisation to adapt the format for the current situation, raising money for the families that it helps to support locally.

Taking place from 16-17 May, people who can do short runs while making sure to practise social distancing will be able to tell Quest how far they’ve gone, with those staying at home encouraged to add the number of hours they complete on their own challenges to the total.

Hackney Quest’s Luke Billingham is planning a lip sync marathon to the entire back catalogue of the Spice Girls, and challenges such as sponsored silences, knitathons, karaoke marathons and more are all welcomed.

Hackney Quest CEO Colette Allen said: “We know that this is a really hard time for our community, country and the world, so we had the idea to do something positive and bring back an amazing event that we ran in Hackney for seven years, but this year, we’re going to do The Hackney1000 a bit differently.

“We’re hoping people still can do a collective challenge, just at a safe distance, over the weekend of 16-17 May. This year, to adjust to the current situation, we’ll combine kilometres run, walked, cycled and skipped with hours spent on whatever fun challenge you like.

“If people are able to film small sections of them completing their run/walk/cycle/skipping, we could edit it all together into a video, celebrating all the wonderful people who are in the Hackney Quest family.

“This event is open to young people, friends and families too and we really do hope that it can bring some positivity and hope at a time when life is challenging for many and devastating for some.”

The well-loved youth charity, which has been running since 1988, has been delivering food, toiletries and IT equipment to families during the crisis, as well as providing one-to-one mentoring over the phone and working with schools to coordinate support for those in need.

All money raised by Hackney1000 2020 will go towards Hackney Quest’s work.

More information and a chance to donate can be found here.

More information on the Hackney 1000 can be found here.