On 18th February the AKU Society will be taking part in the Findacure Cambridge Firewalk! Firewalking gives participants a once in a lifetime opportunity to put their nerve to the test by walking over hot coals! Ran by specialist fire walking experts, this event is for those seeking a thrill, whilst having the chance to fundraise for some brilliant causes. Today we are speaking to Libby Read the Fundraising and Communications Officer from Findacure, who is going to tell us more about the event and Findacure.
Findacure is a UK charity that is building the rare disease community to drive research and develop treatments. It was set up out of the experience of their co-founder, Nick Sireau, who has also been heavily involved in the growth of the AKU Society. It was while Nick was working for the AKU Society that he realised there was no help or support available to meet the needs of rare disease patient groups, leaving many patient groups to overcome the same barriers as each other but in isolation. Nick set up Findacure to fill this gap and encourage peer learning between patient groups. Findacure is now run a series of projects that aim to help patient groups build their patient communities, develop as a charity, and drive treatment development.A firewalk is a very different and exciting fundraising event! As it requires no training and little time commitment, we thought it would give people who don’t have the time or ability to run a half-marathon an alternative opportunity to get involved. What’s more, those taking part have a rare opportunity to literally walk on fire! You don’t get much cooler than that. As the firewalk is taking place in Cambridge, it’s the perfect opportunity for us to increase our presence and support among the local community.
To sign up to fundraise for the AKU Society for this event, head over to the calendar event on our website. https://www.akusociety.org/aku-event-calendar/fire-walk-for-aku. We’re asking our participants to raise £100 through sponsorship, which should be very easy for such an unusual event and we will, of course, promote your fundraising via our social media.
The event is taking place on Saturday 18th February at the Wilberforce Road Sports Ground in Cambridge. Training for participants starts at 4 pm, and firewalking commences at 6 pm.