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In the press 2012

Below are a few newspaper articles where we have been featured during this years event.

If you spot any that we have missed please e-mail us at thekilworthchallenge@hotmail.co.uk

Trophy in memory of Claire

Tuesday, June 05, 2012

A charity challenge trophy has been named in memory of tragic London Marathon runner Claire Squires.

Claire, 30, died in sight of the finish of the London Marathon, sparking an international wave of sympathy which resulted in more than £1 million being donated to her chosen charity, the Samaritans.

At the weekend, the organisers of the Kilworth Challenge, in her home village, named the prize for the best women’s team in her honour.

One of the organising team, Paul Whitehead, said: “Claire grew up here.

“We all remember her as a bright, beautiful and bubbly lady, but also as a committed competitor in the best traditions of the challenge.

“She took part in the challenge on two occasions, so we thought it right to name the women’s trophy in her honour and this year we changed the challenge T-shirts to red, her favourite colour.”

He said organisers had also decided that the over-40s award was to be renamed in honour of Andrew Emery, a village resident who died last year from cancer, and who was a keen supporter and past winner of the challenge.

The charity challenge, a Krypton Factor-style contest which has been running for more than 20 years, broke through the £1 million barrier over the weekend, too.

The event had already raised more than £950,000 in its history before this year’s event – and 35 intrepid teams took part this year raising more than £56,000.

Mr Whitehead said: “We were pretty confident beforehand we could achieve it to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, but to actually do it is wonderful.”

There were 18 challenges on Saturday, an evening challenge held in North Kilworth Sports Club, and another 17 on the Sunday. Two-thirds of the money raised goes to three charities which help disadvantaged children.

The Dukes Barn activity centre, which is in Derbyshire, has received some of the money.

It provides facilities for disabled young people, many of whom live in Leicestershire.

Centre spokesman Phil Booth said: “We are very pleased the event has achieved its goal of raising £1 million.

“The challenge’s help to us over the years has been invaluable.”

Read the full article with photos here http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Trophy-memory-Claire/story-16282927-detail/story.html

Kilworth Challenge photo gallery

Thursday June 7th 2012

Click here to view all photos http://www.harboroughmail.co.uk/news/local-news/kilworth-challenge-2012-1-3918891?ot=johnstonpress.JohnstonPressPageLayout.ot

Kilworth Challenge hits £1m mark

Thursday June 7th 2012

‘THANKS a million!’, said organisers of this year’s Kilworth Challenge after fundraising by the annual event reached the magic seven-figure sum.

This year’s Challenge raised more than £70,000 including gift aid contributions, taking to an incredible £1.02m the amount raised by the event in its 22-year history.

Click here to view a gallery of photos from the event

Nick Otter said the organising committee, including himself, Colin Clarke, Paul Whitehead, Mike Lawrence, Bruce Phillips, Duncan Moss, Mick Faulkner, Chris Mitchell and Manfred Morris would like to express their appreciation to everyone that helped.

He added: “Especially the marshals, landowners and the Kilworth House Hotel.

“Special thanks goes to the competitors themselves who kept smiling through the wet, wind and the rain. Thanks a million!”

A total of 35 teams braved the atrocious conditions over the weekend to take on more than 30 challenges, among them an obstacle course swinging through the trees, racing in the mud, a scary roundabout, word and number puzzles, and a cross country course.

This year’s event also paid tribute to two Kilworth Challenge stalwarts who have died in the last year.

There was a red theme to the proceedings in honour of North Kilworth’s Claire Squires, who died while running the London Marathon in April – red was her favourite colour.

The trophy for the best female team was also renamed The Claire Squires Trophy, while the Over-40s trophy was renamed the Andrew Emery Trophy in honour of the North Kilworth man who died in August.

Mr Otter said: “They were very fitting tributes to two fine individuals who always competed in the best traditions of the Challenge.”

The overall event was won this year by ‘Three Teachers and a Shelf Stacker’ led by a previous winner, John Fish of North Kilworth, with Matt Soulsby, Mark O’Dea and Steve Dean.

Second was a Lutterworth-based team – ‘Don’t Look Back’ – made up of Tony Brown, Mark English, Keith Richmond and Simon Jones.

In third-place were ‘The Bosworth Boys’ from Husbands Bosworth, featuring Jack Johnston, Patrick O`Neill, Sam Caves and Steve Harwood.

The winning female team was ‘Four Shes to the Wind’, comprising Catherine Weston, Lucy Dunkley, Sara Young and Caroline Du Plessis, who also won the fastest female yomper.

The fastest male runner was ‘Lads and Dads’ team member Michael Burke from North Kilworth.

Mixed team winners were ‘The Crown Joules’ from Harborough, comprising Tom Joule, Simon Dowling, Paul Price and Emma Davies.

The Over-40s category was won by ‘The Kilworth Lions’, featuring Adam Herring, John Linnell, Stefan Green and Neil Foster.

‘Running on Carling’, made up of Simon Jones, Stuart Conopo, Ben Hurst and Jason Wright, once again won the prize for raising the most money, achieving an impressive £4,171 through sponsorship

Mr Otter said: “The bulk of this year`s sponsorship will go to Dukes Barn in Derbyshire, the Leicestershire Club for Young People, and Over the Wall – three Midland based charities that help disadvantaged and handicapped children.

“The remainder will go to local charities and good causes in the Market Harborough area.”

 

May 31st 2012

May 31st 2012

Scores of competitors are gearing up for a gruelling two-day cross-country charity event this weekend.

For more than 20 years, the Kilworth Challenge, a Krypton Factor-style competition, has stretched teams from across the country.

Nick Otter, one of the organisers, said: “There will be a full mix of challenges, including some very physical ones, some very brain-taxing ones and some that are there just for sheer enjoyment.”

The route will take the competitors through the south Leicestershire countryside surrounding North Kilworth village.

There will be 18 challenges on Saturday, an evening challenge held in North Kilworth Sports Club, and another 17 on the Sunday.

Mr Otter said: “The first challenge for each of the teams is to see how much money they can raise.”

Over the years, competitors have raised £950,846, which has been split between local and national charities.

This year, organisers are confident they will smash the £1 million mark.

Mr Otter said: “On Sunday afternoon, we hope we will be saying those magic words of ‘thanks a million’ to everyone who has helped us over the years.

“It will be a magnificent achievement for us and everyone involved. We are fairly confident we will pass the £1 million mark. Last year alone, it raised more than £84,000.”

The event has come a long way since it started in 1999, when there were 20 teams and it raised about £7,000.

Two-thirds of the money raised goes to three charities which help disadvantaged children.

The Dukes Barn activity centre, in Derbyshire, has received some of the money.

It provides facilities for disabled young people, many of whom live in Leicestershire.

Centre spokesman Phil Booth said: “The generous funding we have received from the Kilworth Challenge over the years has been invaluable.

“They have raised tens of thousands of pounds for us.

“From last year we received £18,000, which will be spent on a specialist lift and other projects.”

He said in the past they have been able to buy six canoes, a trailer, special buoyancy aids and made the canoes suitable for disabled people.

He said: “With another grant from the Kilworth Challenge, we were able to install two automatic sliding doors to the centre, enabling our wheelchair users to enter and exit the centre and independently access the play areas.”

He said other grants had helped create an all-weather sports surface.

This year, the challenge has attracted 24 all-male teams, seven mixed and six all-female.

All teams, which are made up of four members, have to camp overnight at the sports club as part of the challenge. The teams have to cover about 15 miles each day.

The challenge is the start of the celebrations in North Kilworth for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.