More than 400 people from the Hindu community at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal, South London, came together on 5th July 2026 to take part in the BAPS 10K Charity Challenge.
Participants of all ages, from toddlers to senior citizens, walked, jogged and ran 10 kilometres around Beddington Park, making it a fantastic family and community event.
The annual Charity Challenge is a nationwide initiative, bringing together more than 3,000 participants across around 20 towns and cities throughout the UK. The event promotes healthy living, volunteering and community spirit, while raising vital funds for local and national charities.
This year, BAPS has partnered nationally with Samaritans, whose volunteers provide confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, every day of the year, to anyone experiencing emotional distress or crisis.
We were incredibly grateful that participants in South London also chose to raise funds for The Garwood Foundation. Our CEO, Ross White, attended the opening ceremony and spoke to participants before the challenge began. He thanked BAPS and everyone taking part for their incredible support, which will contribute towards Garwood’s Space to Thrive appeal.
The appeal is helping us create more accessible and inclusive spaces for the young people and adults we support, including a hydrotherapy pool, additional classroom and therapy spaces, an accessible meeting space and improved wheelchair accessibility.
Ross said: “We are incredibly grateful to BAPS and everyone who took part in the 10K Charity Challenge for choosing to support The Garwood Foundation. Every pound raised will help us create spaces where people with disabilities can learn, grow, connect and thrive. It was wonderful to see so many generations of the community coming together in such a positive and inspiring way.”
Funds raised through the event will also support BAPS’s educational, cultural and spiritual activities, benefiting children, young people, families and older members of the community.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone at BAPS, all the participants, volunteers, sponsors and supporters who helped make the event such a success. Your generosity will make a real difference to the lives of the people we support.
Every step, every kilometre and every contribution brought us one step closer to creating more Space to Thrive.