I don’t start work until later on a Friday, so yesterday morning (14/11/25) I was able to keep listening to Radio 2 and the updates on Sara Cox’s incredible Northern Marathon Challenge for Children in Need. By 10.15am I was glad I hadn’t yet applied my mascara, as I was crying again, hearing a moving story from a girl whose brother died from a rare condition, and the charity that continues to support the family.
Throughout the day, I kept wondering how the 50-year-old was coping with the awful weather, fighting incredible pain in her legs and hip as she walked and ran the last of the 135 miles she had battled through over the past five days. Hearing the pain in her voice, many were moved to donate and keep donating, so much so that the current total stands at over £9.5 million!
It did start to feel cruel, almost as though we were paying to listen to her torture! In some ways I felt sad that these celebrities must go to more and more extreme lengths to get us to give money. Previous challenges, undertaken by Vernon Kay and Paddy McGuinness resulted in toenails failing off, dodgy knees, Achilles problems and other ailments.
Having followed the challenge all week, I became aware of the powerful techniques employed by the BBC to encourage people to give. Key to the campaign were personal testimonies, an element of sacrifice, and a sense of comradeship – people showed up all the way along the gruelling route to show their solidarity.
Two years ago, a funder-finder kindly gave us a crash course in fundraising when Activate was on the verge of closing. She made it clear that people need to see and hear the impact of the donations they make, and the lives that are changed. Many of you stepped out of your comfort zones and recorded short clips for us, explaining the impact that Activate Your Life has on you and your friends. You also set up monthly donations so we could set budgets and be plan ahead. Thanks to your stories, an increase in monthly donors, and a last-minute miracle big donation, we were able to keep Activate running.
Although we continue to depend on volunteers and have had to reduce our hours of employment further, the charity survived that rocky patch. We still bring Activate events to local churches around the country, manage our website and admin, cover all the legal cost of running a charity, create new resources, and provide a weekend away designed to inspire you to reach out and bless your local communities. We’re so proud to have made it to our 60th anniversary!
The increased focus on fundraising at this time of year got me wondering what my purpose or mission is. What injustice or unfairness drives a fervour in me? In which situations do I feel most compassion? Which issue awakens a ‘holy discontent’?
If I were Alan Carr (last week’s winner of The Celebrity Traitors) where would I donate my prize money? He chose Neuronblastoma UK, a little-known charity run mostly by volunteers. An article on the BBC explains that Carr first became involved with this charity because he bid on a sculpture of his own head at a charity auction! He thought nobody would want the thing, so he bought it himself! (I wonder whether this story inspired the odd challenge on one of the episodes to dodge lazer beams whilst carrying models of each other’s heads?!) Anyway, according to the article, once Alan met parents who had lost children to neuroblastoma, he became a “tireless advocate”. Basically, he uses his platform to raise awareness and talks about the charity whenever he can.
I like to talk. This week, I’ve bored people to death telling them about the Lancashire Book of the Year Award, a workshop at the local library, and my pupils’ task of reading the longlist and judging the books! It’s nothing special, but it’s a topic beyond weather chat for those moments in the day requiring small talk. Am I as passionate about discussing the Bible, my relationship with Jesus, or the upcoming church event I could be bringing people to? I’m way more invested in these things, but sadly, I find it more difficult to talk about them so I’m not sure people know that.
Would I feel passionate enough about any cause to undertake a physically demanding challenge, like Sara on her ultramarathon? I’m not sure anything would move me enough to run any great distance and I certainly don’t care enough about reading to endure physical pain in advocating for it! However, if you’d met me this week, you would be forgiven for thinking reading is my reason for being, and it’s not! But who out of my colleagues and friends would know what my divine purpose is or where my holy discontent lies? And do I even know?
We don’t all need to complete feats of endurance, but we do need to care about those around us and love them. And we do need to talk about the things we’re passionate about and pray about what they are!