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News

Paul Popham Running Club donates £4k to Popham Kidney Support

Paul Popham Running Club (PPRC) marked a triumphant milestone at its eighth Annual Christmas Awards Night, hosted at Morgans Hotel, Swansea on November 24. This year’s fundraising efforts reached an unprecedented total of £4,330, taking the club’s cumulative total to over £15,000 since its inception in 2016.

The funds raised will be utilised to provide a memorable experience for children and their families battling kidney disease on December 17, 2023, when 50 kidney patients will experience a performance of Aladdin at the Wales Millennium Centre. The Annual Christmas Awards Night showcased the club’s commitment to acknowledging member achievements and also its dedication to raising money for kidney patients across Wales.

Founded in 2016 by sisters Claire and Joanne Popham, Paul Popham Running Club was set up in their father’s honour and homage to his passion for running. Since then, it has evolved into a thriving community with over 150 members of diverse abilities and has raised a total of over £15,000 for Popham Kidney Support.

The club’s inception aimed to promote the physical and emotional well-being of Swansea residents through innovative “Learn2Run” programmes. Initially based on the couch-to-5k principle, these programmes have become instrumental in fostering a love for running among participants, resulting in a dedicated and growing membership base.

Paul Popham Running Club offers a variety of programmes throughout the year, fostering a dynamic and inclusive running community. The club boasts a total of five distinct programmes annually, each tailored to cater to diverse interests and abilities.

Popham Kidney Support, the club’s charitable arm, benefits annually from the club’s fundraising initiatives. Notably, the annual 5k Series, the Swansea Bay Summer 5k, the Where’s Wally Run, and the recently concluded Annual Christmas Awards Night contribute to a collective effort to support kidney-related issues.

 

Claire Popham, Co-Founder of PPRC, expressed her gratitude, saying:

“We are thrilled to see our members’ dedication not only to their running journeys but also to making a positive impact in our community. The funds raised this year will undoubtedly bring joy to the lives of those facing the challenges of kidney disease, aligning perfectly with the spirit of the festive season.”

 

Joanne Popham, Popham Kidney Support CEO, and Co-Founder and Chair of Paul Popham Running Cub, said:

“The running club is filled with social, fun-loving people who recognise the benefits that running can bring to their physical and emotional wellbeing, while also creating a social environment. Every year, members support the club and charity’s development. They either take part in one of the club’s events, volunteer, or help organise it. The £4330 is an amazing amount and does not include the sponsorship that individuals raise for races they take part in on behalf of the charity – our members truly make the running club a family.”

 

Stephen Arnold, Vice Chair, Paul Popham Running Club, said:

“Being part of this family-friendly club that supports a great cause is wonderful. We are lucky indeed.”

 

Simon Treharn, Fundraising Secretary, Paul Popham Running Club, said:

‘’We organise many fundraising initiatives throughout the year, all members get behind the initiatives with enthusiasm. We started a lottery for the club members and in its first year, it raised over £1000, all while also enabling members to become lottery winners!”

 

Lynne Orton, Chair of Trustees, Popham Kidney Support, said:

“The PPRC donates funds to the charity annually, and we are very lucky to have such a band of runners who also understand how charities need their support.”

To find out more and/or to join the running club visit: www.paulpophamrunningclub.co.uk

Charity & CSR, Charity News

Popham Kidney Support eyes further growth following successful 2022

Popham Kidney Support, the Swansea based kidney charity, has unveiled plans for further growth and expansion at its annual Supporters Lunch as it gears for its tenth year in operation.

The charity’s employees, volunteers, supporters, and partners attended the annual event, held at the Mercure Hotel, Swansea, on Thursday 15th December.

In 2022, the charity raised £135,000 and supported 3,323 people affected by kidney disease. It also rebranded and launched a new website as it gears up to deliver on ambitious plans for next year, which will also be its 10th anniversary.

An important part of that will be expanding its flagship service, Peer Support Service, to cover all Wales. In support of this development, the charity announced at the annual event that they had been awarded a grant from The National Lottery, a 5-year grant from People & Places to develop Peer Support Services throughout Wales. It recently carried out a roadshow to North Wales in order to increase awareness of the charity in that area and to discuss launching kidney cafés.

To further support this expansion and to support more kidney patients and their families, it has hired a new Patient Services Coordinator. Geraint John has supported the charity for almost a decade and has been heavily involved as a Volunteer Peer Mentor and a leader of the charity’s Exercise for Health Group for six years.

In addition, the charity will be employing a Peer Support Manager, Gail Williams, retired Lead Nurse for the Welsh Kidney Network, who will be joining the charity in the New Year to support with the development of the Peer Support Service across Wales, expanding its recruitment of volunteers, counsellors and peer mentors.

Over the next five years, the charity aims to expand its team of peer mentors to 123, ensuring that many more patients can alleviate fears, improve self-esteem and battle loneliness.

Additionally, the charity aims to recruit a further eight volunteer counsellors and 30 Youth Peer Mentors from across Wales, who will provide one-to-one support to youths affected by kidney disease and their families, while contributing to the development of its Children & Youth Services.

In 2022, the charity also made strides towards its target of raising £130,000 for the Children’s Kidney Centre at Cardiff & Vale University Hospital in 2022. More than £50,000 has already been raised towards this target.

The day before its annual Supporters Lunch, it officially launched a new corporate partnership campaign, created in order to help progress the fundraising for this project, at a Christmas wine and cheese event at Morgan’s Hotel, Swansea. So far, it has welcomed a number of corporate partners including FAI Automotive, Falck, Jigsaw Creative and Swansea Building Society.

 

Joanne Popham, Popham Kidney Support CEO, said:

“2022 has been a very promising and developmental year for the charity. Expanding our team and reach has been at the forefront of our vision moving forward and will be our focus going into next year.

I cannot thank my team, our trustees, volunteers, fundraisers and supporters for their fantastic hard work and support over the past year and we are excited about what the future holds.”