Run 4 Wales (R4W) has announced over £17,000 in donations for projects supporting nature conservation, carbon reduction and climate adaption through partnerships with sustainability charities and a new Climate Action Fund initiative.
The innovative fund has been generated through a series of Run 4 Wales’ events in 2022 – with contributions from event organisers, participants and event partners, with an aim to balance the impact that hosting major events has on the environment.
£10,000 is being invested in projects and organisations through the Climate Action Fund including Project Seagass, which aims to launch a carbon capturing seagrass nursery in West Wales, the Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru and Stump up for Trees, a community driven initiative to plant a million trees in the Brecon Beacons.
£7,233 was also raised directly through the two Cardiff Half Marathon events that took place in 2022 for Size of Wales, the charity that works with indigenous and local people worldwide to grow trees and protect tropical forests.
Run 4 Wales Head of Sustainability, Gareth Ludkin, commented: “In an era of rapidly escalating climate change, resource depletion, plastic pollution and species extinction, we have a duty to deliver ambitiously green, sustainable and low impact events.
“Whilst we’re committed to reducing the environmental impact of our events and have made significant changes to our delivery model as part of our commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030 (and aim to be a climate positive events company by 2040), there is always more we can be doing – especially in areas such as participant travel.
“Our new Climate Action Fund is helping to balance out the impact of our events by supporting sustainable development projects and green initiatives, and we’re indebted to the event partners and participants who have personally contributed to help make it a reality. We’re delighted to have been able to support such vital projects and would like to say a huge thanks to everyone who has donated.
Contributions have been funded by optional donations made by our event participants and cash contributions from event sustainability partners including our water supplier Brecon Carreg. R4W has also made finishers t-shirts optional for the first time, making an investment into the fund of the equivalent fulfilment cost for every runner who has opted out of receiving one.
“We’re excited to build on our Climate Action Fund in the years ahead, working with our participants and sustainability partners to make further positive contributions in this space.”
Eleri Morgan, Brand Manager at Brecon Carreg, commented: “It’s fantastic to see the Climate Action Fund being put towards these outstanding projects. We’ve undertaken both conservation and tree planting work at Brecon Carreg for numerous years now and to be able to extend those commitments through our partnership with Run 4 Wales is something we’re very excited about. We’re really looking forward to it!”
Click here to learn more about the Run 4 Wales Environmental Policy.
