Scotty Challenges 2017

Scotty’s LITTLE Soldiers: The charity for bereaved british forces children

Scotty challenges

Charity challenges in support of Scotty’s Little Soldiers

muddy adventures Now more popular than traditional running events!

Once in a lifetime Read about our epic overseas challenges

What’s your challenge?

Find your perfect charity challenge for 2017.

Find out how your fundraising can help the children of the fallen

running

obstacle

sky dives

bungee!

cycling

treks

Fundraising Challenges

in support of bereaved British Forces children

Visit

ScottyChallenges .co.uk

www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

CONTENTS Nikki’s note ................. 4 Featured events........... 5 keep on running........... 7

Muddy - 8

Muddy adventures........ 8 Ultra Series................. 10 Sky dives....................... 12 Overseas challenges.... 13 running - 7

Cycling.......................... 14 Online fundraising...... 14

cycling challenges - 14

This guide is produced in-house by the Scotty Team. You can contact Scotty’s about the guide or the charity’s work here: 08000 928571 / hello@scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk / facebook.com/scottyslittlesoldiers Twitter: @corporalscotty Instagram: ScottysLittleSoldiers

www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

NIKKI’S note: Hi I’m Nikki, the Founder of Scotty’s Little Soldiers.

The idea of Scotty’s came to me after the death of my husband Cpl Lee Scott in Afghanistan in 2009.

I had witnessed the devastation his death had caused on our children, Kai aged 5 at the time, and Brooke, who was just 7 months old. I anxiously searched for support and was surprised to find that there were no charities dedicated to providing long term assistance to children who had lost a parent in the British Armed Forces.

My initial objective was to raised funds to provide holiday breaks for the children and to give them opportunities to smile again. As these fun activities developed we began to realise these brave young individuals need so much more care and support than first thought. The charity has evolved to provide a wide range of support and development opportunities for bereaved Forces families and has become an integral part of our beneficiaries lives.

In this newsletter you will read more about the fantastic challenges we have available in support of the charity. These are a great way to not only raise money to help us continue our work but also for individuals to set personal targets. I myself took part in the ROCKSOLID RACE in October 2016 which for me was a massive achievement. I’m not sure I fancy doing it again but I’m so pleased I tried it. Going round the course with the rest of the team was amazing and the sense of achievement afterwards was unbelievable.

We can’t continue to do our important work without your support. Scotty’s Little Soldiers is funded by the great British public. By individuals donating their hard earned cash or by raising sponsorship for performing all manner of crazy pursuits. The charity is also supported by a number of amazing organisations, both financially and through a wide range of non-financial activities. We’ve created this newsletter ourselves to hopefully inspire you to get involved help to have a huge impact on the lives of some very special young people.

We can’t thank our fallen heroes personally for making the ultimate sacrifice but through Scotty’s Little Soldiers we can provide care and support for the children they leave behind.

I hope you’ll join me on our journey to #HelpTheirChildrenSmile

Nikki Love

Founder - Scotty’s Little Soldiers

www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

Featured events!

We have hundreds of amazing challenges available in support of Scotty’s, many of which are mentioned in this brochure. Here are just a few of our 2017 highlights...

What? Isle of Wight Ultra Challenge When? 29th April Where? IOW Challenge? Hard - 100km (shorter distances available also).

What? LEJOG When? 13th June Where? Lands End Challenge? Hard

What? Sky Dive When? All year Where? Various Challenge? Mentally hard

What? Great Wall Trek When? 14th April Where? China Challenge? Mid

What? Great South Run When? 22nd October Where? Portsmouth Challenge? 10 Miles

What? ROCKSOLID When? Mar & Oct Where? Exeter / MK Challenge? Various

What? The Fan Dance When? 17/18 June Where? Brecon Beacons Challenge? Hard 24km

Get your fundraising gear: www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk/webshop

www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

Keep on running!

From 5k’s to Ultra Marathons, we have the running challenge for you!

The good old traditional sponsored run is a great way to raise funds for Scotty’s and to get fit at the same time!

even formed and don’t become available on the general market. Your best bet for a place is through the ballot.

There are events taking place up and down the UK every week so there’s bound to be a challenge near you. Remember you are welcome to secure your own place at an event and still fundraise for Scotty’s. Just head over to our website and fill in the form on the Fundraising page to let us know what you’re doing.

Anyone fundraising for Scotty’s using online giving sites such as Everyday Hero or Just Giving will receive a free Fundraising Headband when they raise £50 or more and a FREE Under Armour running vest when they raise more than £250!

Alternatively we do have a range of running events on our Scotty Challenges website. Some of 2017’s highlights include the Great North and South Runs, the Milton Keynes Marathon, the Edinburgh Marathon and the Nottingham 10k.

Unfortunately we aren’t able to secure any London Marathon places - these were all reserved by charities year’s before Scotty’s was

To see the full list of current running events visit The Scotty Challenges website today.

See page 10 for details on our Ultra distance series.

www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

Muddy adventures

We have charity places at a wide range of ‘OCR’s but which is best for you?

Mud runs and Obstacles Races or OCR’s for short, have become hugely popular in the past few years. There are literally hundreds of them up and down the UK with events of all different distances and levels of challenge.

Spartan Race series or Toughest.

Events geared more towards teamwork tend to be more accessible to first timers but often include the option of different distances to ensure there is something to challenge Here we give you the low down on some of everyone. Obstacles will still be challenging the main events in 2017 so you can decide but there will be a little more focus on fun which one is right for you! and probably lots of mud! Examples of this would be Tough Mudder or ROCKSOLID Broadly speaking there are two types of Race.

OCR, those of a competitive nature and those which are geared towards tackling the event as part of a team.

Competitive events are usually timed and will more than likely have an elite wave which sets off first. There’s nothing to stop fun runners taking part in these events too although they tend to be slightly more technical so not always suited to the first timer. Examples of these type of OCR’s would be the Reebok

www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

2017 mud / obstacle races We have charity places at a wide range of ‘OCR’s so which one is best for you?

Beast is widely regarded as the hardest of Our OCR’s for 2017.

Over on the Scotty Challenges site you’ll find the bunch. all our latest OCR’s in the ‘Muddy’ section.

The exact distance is kept a secret but you Here are a selection of our favourites. can expect it to be between 19 and 22km Most Fun / Best for Big Teams – ROCKSOLID with over 30 obstacles and some seriously hilly terrain. It takes place on the 22nd July RACE In 2016 we had over 100 fundraisers taking (there’s a Sprint race on the 23rd so you part in the ROCKSOLID RACE. There are could sign up for both!). There’s no minimum two events, Exeter in March and Milton fundraising target for this event we just ask Keynes in October with 3 different distances that you raise what you can. at both, 5km, 10km and new for 2017, 20km.

The most popular distance is the 10km. You can expect to be challenged with a wide range of obstacles and some very muddy terrain but rest assured you’ll be supported by all the other runners – no one gets left behind.

For 2017 we have 2 different sign up options, FUNDRAISER or FUNDED. Funded places are £60 per person and cover the full cost of your entry. Fundraiser places have a lower Most Technical – Toughest Race. registration fee of £30 but require you to Toughest is one of the leading OCR organisers in Europe and first came to the UK raise at least £100 in sponsorship. with their London South event in 2016. This year they have two events, London South and Milton Keynes. Courses are shorter, usually around 8-10km, but the obstacles are technical and require a decent amount of upper body strength and technique.

Hardest Challenge – Reebok Spartan Race: Edinburgh Beast.

The Spartan series has three levels of race, Sprint, Super and Beast. The Beast is, as the name suggests, the most challenging of the three. We have places at every UK Spartan race in 2017 but the Edinburgh

www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

Ultra Challenge Series Test your endurance on the Isle of Wight, from capital to coast, along the iconic Cotswold Way or via the Seven Sisters. With some training, our support & famous hospitality it’s achievable! With 50 km & 25 km options as well and our ‘Festival of Events’ on the Thames Path Challenge - there’s a Challenge here for everyone!

The Ultra Challenge Series of 100km events from experts Action Challenges are hugely popular and extremely challenging. They have 5 UK Ultra events, each with 100km, 50km and 25km options so there’s something for everyone. The cost of entering each event is £70 with a minimum fundraising target of £395.

Walk it, jog it or run it. Take part as a team or individually. The events are fully supported with great hospitality and food available. Looking to get your work colleagues involved? Speak to our fundraising team for corporate packages.

Further details of each event are available on the Scotty Challenges website with information on how to sign up.

www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

Jump FOR SCOTTY’S Take on a sky dive for Scotty’s and tick it off your bucket list!

A tandem sky dive is something everyone should experience at least once in their lives. We explain how you can tick this off your bucket list and support the children of the fallen at the same time.

The thought of jumping from a plane at over 10,000ft scares the hell out of most of us yet thousands sign up every year to conquer their fear and take on a charity sky dive.

We work closely with the guys at Click and Jump who organise jumps around the UK and are also the sole representatives of charity jumps with the Red Devils!

Training beforehand takes about 30 mins and you’ll have an experienced and fully qualified instructor with you.

There’s no upper age limit but you do need to be 16 years or over.

There’s a £50 registration fee and a minimum fundraising target of £500 to

reach but once your friends and family hear what you’re planning we’re sure you will have no problem smashing that.

To find out more about Sky diving for Scotty’s head over to the Scotty Challenges site here.

www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

Are you ready for an epic overseas challenge We’re working with adventure experts Discover Adventure to provide our fundraisers with access to the most amazing once in a lifetime challenges possible. As well as truly wonderful adventures, through DA we can ensure that your trip is safe and well organised so you can focus on the challenge ahead with no worries.

These are trips designed to be challenging and to push your limits. They are not holidays! They involve preparation in terms of fundraising and improving fitness.

As well as the incredibly rewarding feeling of completing the challenge you have set yourself, you also know that your efforts are helping the children of the fallen.

Trips are graded over 5 levels of difficulty, with 1 being challenging and 5 being extreme. A challenging graded trip will have long days of physical activity over varied terrain, with a good level of fitness required, while an extreme challenge will involve high altitudes, tough terrain and extremes of temperatures and will demand high levels of stamina and perseverance.

DA have been running adventurous, challenging trips all over the world since 1994, their challenges come in many varieties - trekking, cycling, multi-activity and sailing. Whether at high or low altitudes, in mountains, desert or jungle, you can rest assured that you will have a real adventure and help others at the same time. It will be tough at times, but Perhaps you’ve always wanted to see that’s what makes it so worthwhile and Machu Picchu, the Great Wall of China or Angkor Wat. Or you have always wanted to memorable! cycle from Land’s End to John O’ Groats, We have a selection of challenges or London to Paris, but never turned promoted on our website but you can enter that ambition into a reality? With our DA any of the ‘Open’ challenges available from challenges you can do that, and ensure DA. To see the full list visit their website at the charity benefits from your efforts. http://www.discoveradventure.com.

Open Challenges are designed to be flexible, because we know that people have different time commitments, and different budgets. You can either choose to fundraise a specified target amount, or fund your own trip costs and raise whatever you can.

Whatever you choose, you can be sure that your trip will be professionally-run, very rewarding and - very importantly great fun!

Find out more at ScottyChallenges.co.uk

www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

Cycling challenges...

Cycling has become hugely popular in the UK following our Olympic successes and charity rides are a great way to support good causes whilst setting yourself a personal challenge.

the bucket list of any keen cyclist.

You can purchase our Scotty’s Cycling Jerseys from our online store, or, if you raise £250 or more online we’ll send you one for free!

Through our partners at Discover Adventure we have access to a whole Check out our cycling events here. range of cycling challenges. Over on our Scotty Challenges site we’ve picked a handful of our favourites but if you see an open challenge on the Discover Adventure website you’ll be free to fundraise for Scotty’s.

Our favourites have to be the Lands End to John O’Groats or the popular London to Paris - both are almost certainly on

Fundraising online If you’re fundraising for Scotty’s often the easiest way is to use an online giving site. This way funds are handled securely and you don’t have to worry about chasing up cash from friends and family after the event.

Just create a page using one of the online giving sites (here’s a link to Everyday Hero) and get sharing.

If you sign up for an event through the Scotty Challenges site we’ll make sure all your details are registered on our It also makes life a lot easier to share system and we’ll email you a fundraising what you are doing and for friends to pack with lots more information. sponsor you from a distance.

If you sign up to any event yourself and There are a number of online giving sites not through the Challenges website and Scotty’s Little Soldiers is registered you can still receive a fundraising pack with most of them. JustGiving and but you’ll just need to complete the Virgin Money Giving are two of the most fundraising form on our main website popular and Everyday Hero is another here. of our preferred partners.

Of course if you have any questions the Remember, even if you sign up to an team will be only too happy to help. event yourself which isn’t on the Scotty Challenges website, you can still Call on: 08000 928 571 choose to raise funds for the charity.

Email: events@scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

Scotty’S LITTLE SoldierS The charity for bereaved British Forces children

Scotty’S LITTLE SoldierS was founded by Nikki Scott following the death of her husband Cpl Lee Scott in Afghanistan in 2009. Nikki and Lee had two young children so Nikki saw first hand the effects losing a parent can have on a child. She decided to set up Scotty’s Little Soldiers to support all children and young people who have lost a parent serving in our British Armed Forces.

Find out more about Scotty’S LITTLE SoldierS at www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk Follow us at: scottyslittlesoldiers scottyslittlesoldiers @corporalscotty