News Archive

The London Marathon Charitable Trust has announced yet another record total of grants allocated in December 2005 of over £3 million, based on a record surplus received from the London Marathon Ltd.  These include playing fields that were purchased from the YMCA in Mottingham, LB Southwark – becoming the fourth London Marathon Playing Field and a reserve that has been set up for our commitment to legacy facilities for London 2012. Since its inception in 1981 the Charitable Trust has donated a total of £19,195,941 aiding more than 560 projects in London, plus one in Birmingham.

<pl />The Charitable Trust funds are generated from the surplus made on events staged by The London Marathon Ltd.  In 2005 these included the Hydro Active Women’s Challenge in London Hyde Park, the Hydro Active Women’s Challenge in Birmingham, the Hydro Active Women’s Challenge in Liverpool, and the adidas Half Marathon in both Liverpool and Silverstone, all in addition to the London Marathon itself.

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<pl />This year apart from the new Playing Fields and the legacy reserve, around 50 projects across the London boroughs have been allocated grants of between £3,500 and £160,000.

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<pl />The largest grant of £160,000 has been donated to the refurbishment of Barnet Coptall Stadium.  The Council and its partners are looking towards 2012 in seeking to make major improvements including resurfacing of the track and the throwing and jumping areas.  Part funding has already been secured and Shaftesbury, Barnet Harriers have secured funding for a two year programme of putting coaches and athletes into local schools.

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<pl />In addition to this, to show the marathon’s commitment and appreciation to the Royal Parks for their continued support, the trustees have made a grant of £120,000 for the complete refurbishment of the beachhead at the Lido in Hyde Park.  The facility is visited by thousands of people, both local residents and tourists and is in constant use.

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<pl />Other significant donations include £150,000 to upgrade the running track at Woodford Green, and have it extended to 8 lanes, a grant of £100,000 for an upgrade to the track at Norman Park Athletics Track in Bromley, and the same amount for the redevelopment of the Southwark Park sports complex. 

<pl />Commenting on the grants, the Chairman of the Charitable Trust, Sir James Swaffield said “The race owes so much to the London Boroughs and the people that help us host our events, and I am delighted that we are able to grant such a large amount to a wide range of projects”.

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<pl />The London Marathon Charitable Trust was created in 1981, the inaugural year of the London Marathon, to meet one of the six objectives detailed by the race founders: ‘To raise money for the provision of recreational facilities in London’.