Tap-shaped running, maths lessons and squatting while lifting your relatives: inspiration for fundraising from home

What do a tap-shaped marathon, squatting while lifting a twelve-year-old and 26 maths lessons have in common? They’re all examples of the creative ways the UK public has been supporting WaterAid from the confines of home.

Sunday 26 April was a day that should have been all about the London Marathon. But instead, because of its postponement, our social media feeds were filled with videos and pictures of people taking on inventive and hilarious fundraising challenges for the 2.6 Challenge – which was created by the organisers of the London Marathon to support UK charities.

WaterAid supporters were no exception to this! Whether for the 2.6 Challenge or not, we’ve been heartened to see so many WaterAiders coming together to fundraise in new and creative ways.

Now more than ever we need your help in reaching people around the world with life-saving clean water and handwashing supplies. The coronavirus pandemic is escalating rapidly and we need to do even more right now, in countries with already fragile health systems, to protect as many people as possible from this virus.

Read more about our COVID-19 response

We spoke to a few of those who have recently taken on a fundraising challenge. They told us why they wanted to support us at a time like this, how they chose their challenge and gave us their top tips for others thinking about fundraising too.

Marcus Mumford, the tap marathon

“WaterAid are needed now more than ever before so I was keen to do something that would capture people's attention, raise awareness and some much-needed funds. So instead of the London Marathon, I ran 26.2 miles around our farm on a course shaped like a tap!”

“In the UK we’re so lucky to have Zoom, Ocado, Netflix, Joe Wicks and daily briefings. I can't imagine having to go through all this, not only without the luxury of the internet, but without being able to practice the most basic hygiene precaution of washing our hands thoroughly.

“We all now have a vast array of ways to keep in touch with people and share stories which makes fundraising from home that much easier and more fun. It's great to get instant feedback from friends and family all over the country during your challenge, so I'd recommend running a live video feed through social media if you can, like I did.”

Cesar Mendez, the hallway marathon

“I was supposed to be running the Stockholm Marathon in May, but as it’s been postponed I decided to run the distance of a marathon in my hallway (which is just 5.3 metres long) instead.

“Handwashing is the first line of defence in the fight against coronavirus, but millions of people around the world still do not have clean water sources close to home – which is why I was determined to do my bit to support WaterAid in tackling this devastating situation.

“7,962 laps and 5 hours and 53 minutes later, I completed it! It was really hard, even for a seasoned marathon runner like myself, but I didn’t give up.”

Jo Strange, the sunrise stroll

“In these challenging times charities are still trying to support the vulnerable but with reduced income. It was with this in mind that I decided to take up the 2.6 Challenge for WaterAid. I have been a member of the local Frampton Cotterell Water Aid group for years and feel passionately about the invaluable work they do.

“I used my daily exercise to walk 3 miles around a nearby field at 5.30am. It was a beautiful morning, with the mist settled over the grass as the sun rose. I even had a deer keep me company for a while.