Be part of our Brighton Marathon 2016 team!

Since starting in 2010, the Brighton Marathon has become an annual fixture getting better and better each year. The course snakes through the city centre, along the coast and ends by the iconic Brighton pier. With crowds of supporters completely lining the route, the atmosphere is always electric.

At Quest4Change we have been lucky enough to have individuals not only complete the 26 gruelling miles, but also raise fantastic amounts of money for us!  This year we have runner spaces available ready to be filled!

By running with us you will receive fundraising advice, weekly training plans, Q4C t-shirt and project information highlighting how your fundraising is making a difference. To register for a place we ask for a fee of £75 and a commitment to reaching a £500 fundraising target.

Join our team
To sign up, visit http://www.quest4change.org/brighton-marathon.html to download an application form. 

Our Brighton Marathon Hall of Fame
We wanted to celebrate all our past runners achievements and their great marathon experience running for Quest4Change.

2010

We had four amazing individuals running for Quest4Change to kick start the first ever marathon! The team consisted of: Tom Forrest (3 hours 15 minutes), Scott Osborn (5 hours 6 minutes), Paul Deaville (4 hours 26 minutes) and Steve Robinson (4 hours 50 minutes). All together they raised over £2,300 - an inspiring amount.

2011

The second Brighton Marathon was in the blazing sun and we had six fantastic runners fundraising for our different projects. Katy Lee, Dan Jewitt, Charlene Marriott, Matt Parkinson, Nikki Harman and Kevin Love all took on the challenge of completing the marathon. Kevin finished the marathon in an astonishing 3 hours 2 seconds, finishing in 42^nd place.The team also collectively raised over £2,500!

2012

In 2012, we had 5 amazing individuals run for us in 2012, who raised over £2000! The team consisted of: Gary Pons (3 hours 38 minutes), Dyfrig Dafis (4 hours 25 minutes), Heather Osborn (4 hours 39 minutes) and Steph and Eoin Dornan (4 hours 25 minutes). Steph and Eoin had already trained and fundraised together for the Quest Three Peaks Challenge and raised over £1095 – they really were the dream team! 

2013

We were lucky enough to have one of our marathon places filled a second time by Heather! Cath Kemp joined Heather in the marathon and collectively they raised £745.

                         2014

In 2014 our running place was filled by Rosie Thompson, a full time student, who was taking on her first full marathon. Rosie volunteered in Tanzania with Quest during her summer holidays and felt compelled to keep supporting Quest once she returned to the UK. 

When hearing about Quest4Change’s marathon places she thought this was the perfect opportunity to help! All of Rosie’s hard work and training paid off as she completed the marathon in 4 and half hours and raised £500!

                        2015

This April among the thousands of runners lining up to start the marathon were Teddy Sparkes, Josh Sprey and Chris Lloyd who were all supporting Quest4Change. 

Teddy and Josh ran together completing the marathon in 5 hours 7 minutes and Chris completed the marathon in 5 hours 18 minutes!  

 All three have been fundraising throughout their training and we are currently in the process of counting the final amount.

Words of wisdom from Rosie

Still hesitating about signing up? We will leave you with some words of advice from our 2014 runner Rosie:

“If you have a vague notion that you might like to run a marathon for Quest then I’d say dust off that gym membership and do it: you do not have to be super athletic by any stretch of the imagination. A motivating cause and a little determination is really all you need!”

Wowee! What a run for Villa Maria!

Just a quick update to our recent blog about Questie Victor's marathon for VM... we've been informed by the man himself that he ran the Thames Meander Marathon in 3 hours and 10 minutes!!! (Did we mention it was his first marathon?)

An incredible time and for an even more incredible cause, the school in Villa Maria!  As luck will have it, you can also get involved with supporting the school by making a pledge now or an online donation in December - check out the details for our Big Give Christmas Challenge here.

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Fancy taking on your own challenge for Q4C? Download our list of EVENTS AROUND THE UK! Or just email us with some details about your challenge and how we can help you fundraise for our projects.

Victor for VM

Good luck to ex-Questie Victor, who is running the Thames Meander Marathon on 24th August to raise money for the Quest School in Villa Maria.

Victor & team mates at Villa Maria in 2012

Victor was lucky enough to spend some time in Villa Maria last summer during his Andean Expedition with Quest Overseas, where the project made quite the impact - with Victor personally promising project director Alejandro that he would run a marathon to help the school.

Not one to renege on a deal,  next week Victor will be completing the 26.2 miles around leafy Richmond Park and along the Thames Path... A beautiful location to take on the ultimate running challenge!

Sponsor Victor for VM at https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/villamaria.

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Want to take part in a challenge for Quest4Change? Download our list of EVENTS AROUND THE UK!  Or just email us on info@quest4change.org with some details about what your challenge is and how we can help you fundraise for our projects.

RideLondon - Congratulations John!!

Apologies for the intermission - a brief Tanzanian expedition interlude has kept fundraiser & admin Rose away from her blogging chair...read more about that here.

Back in the country and back to business, with a huge congratulations to keen cyclist and Quest4Change fundraiser John Conquest, who rode in Sunday's inaugural RideLondon-Surrey 100.

As if the doing the 100 miles wasn't enough, John has also raised a whopping £540 to date for our projects....wowee!

THANKS JOHN!!

Every donation and piece of fundraising is enormously valued by us for the good it can do, but what is really special about this money is that it is an unrestricted donation.  That is to say, here at Q4C HQ we're able to put the funds to their best use across the projects.

That kind of trust in us by our fundraisers is a big responsibility, so we work hard to make sure that every penny is used wisely.  Check out some more details about what different amounts can achieve across our projects at /www.quest4change.org/donate.html.

Be part of next year's RideLondon team -
download an application form here!

A sea-change in fundraising!

Nobody ever said that fundraising was easy, and certainly one Quest volunteer has been braver than most for his sponsored challenge...

Joe Rowlands will be heading out to Kenya next summer to work on our Water Relief Project with Excellent.  Knowing that there's a serious lack of water in the area of Makueni in which we work, Joe decided to celebrate the beautiful water off the coast of Aberystwyth....

BY JUMPING IN THE IRISH SEA EVERY DAY IN DECEMBER!

Brr!  It makes us chilly just to think of it!  Well done Joe!

3 days to go... count down to the Big Give!

Help support 18 mentally & physically impaired young men this Christmas.  Donate online:

http://new.thebiggive.org.uk/project/casalar

from 10am on Thursday to have your donation doubled!

With our help, the home can continue to provide care, education and most of all love for the boys.

We are hoping to raise £6,000 for Casa Lar, which would cover the costs of medicines for 8 months, enabling the boys to live their lives pain-free.

BUT

We are competing for matching funds against other charities, so please donate as close to 10am on Thursday to increase our chances!

For more information about the project and how these funds can help, please visit our Rio project page or email rose@quest4change.org.

Brighton Marathon - what a success!

A huge WELL DONE to the five fabulous Quest4Change runners who completed the Brighton Marathon - and all in under their predicted times, great stuff!!

2012 Hall of Fame:

     

Clockwise:
Gary Pons - with a fantastic time of 3 hours 38 mins!! We were very impressed when Gary came to see us in the Charity Village as early as he did!

Dyfrig Dafis - 4 hours 25 mins - making it look easy to finish more than 420x the length of his more usual rugby pitch goal to goal!  Dyfrig will be heading out to volunteer in Tanzania next summer and is raising money for our partners Livingstone Tanzania Trust.

Steph Walker & Eoin Dornan - 4 hours 25 mins - this dream team have trained, fundraised, and run together for a brilliant time, having previously taken part in the Q4C Three Peaks Challenge.

Heather Osborn - 4 hours 39 mins - the culmination of months of hard work in training and fundraising, including organising Ipswich's best pop ceilidh of 2012!

So far, the team have raised over £2,000 (nearing £2,500 with gift aid!) for the Quest4Change projects, and still counting!

A couple of shout outs to Ali Clements, running for Cancer Research, and who ran with Heather - well done! And a thank you to Chris West, who unfortunately had to pull out of the race a few weeks before with injury but who made up for this with his very vocal support on the day at the water station!

Thank you to all the team and to everyone who supported them, and helped make this such a great day!

Fancy getting involved in 2013..?

A Very Merry Reunion!

Last Sunday night, Quest volunteers past and present dusted off their glad rags and headed to the Annual Reunion Ball at the Artesian Well in Clapham.....

Travel Nation run for Quest4Change

Here at Quest, we have been working with the round-the-world flight experts Travel Nation for a number of years to help us arrange flights for our volunteers.  Their team have always been fantastic at finding good deals and coping with the various and many requests thrown at them by ourselves and our volunteers.

But next year, 3 members of the Travel Nation tribe are going that bit further for us... 13 miles further, to be precise!  

On Sunday 19th February 2012, Chris, Sally and Martin will all be taking on the Brighton Half Marathon Charity Challenge in order to raise funds for the Quest4Change projects.  They are competing against other business teams to fundraise as much as possible for charity, hopefully winning them the Charity Challenge Trophy (plus our eternal gratitude).  The fastest team will also win a prize. 

Not satisfied with this, Team Travel Nation's Chris will also be joining the Quest4Change Quest4Change Brighton Marathon Team in April - we are seriously impressed!

And because of all of this, we feel that Team Travel Nation's effort deserves SHOUTING from the rafters - which is what we're doing now!  Watch this space for further updates...

The Brighton Half Marathon Corporate Charity Challenge is an opportunity for you and your workmates to get fit, to get closer as a team, and most of all, to raise as much money as you can for some of the most disadvantaged people in the world.   If you would be interested in having a team run the Brighton Half Marathon, read on...

Brighton Half Marathon Corporate Challenge!

Looking for a way to combine teamwork, fitness and  fundraising?  

What is the Corporate Charity Challenge?
An opportunity to showcase your business, and promote teamwork & fitness. More than that, it’s a way to make a real difference to people’s lives by raising funds for Quest4Change.

Taking place on 19^th February 2012, The Brighton Half Marathon takes in sights from the Old Steine, the Hove Lagoon, along the glorious seafrontfor the majority of the race. The Corporate Challenge Trophy will be awarded to the business that collectively raises the most funds for their chosen charity, with a minimum of 3 team members finishing the race. Extra prizes will also be available for the 3 fastest teams.

Why run for Quest4Change? 
You could raise funds for any one or all of the Quest4Change projects in South America and Africa. 

We will also provide you with:

• Press releases to local and national newspapers, promotion of the challenge and your company logo on our website, blog and social media
• Entrance to the charity marquee at the end of the race, with a friendly face to dole out congratulations and material sustenance! 
• Fundraising tips & advice, sponsorship forms, posters to promote the challenge. Help with online fundraising Quest4Change T-shirts for all the team
• A training program
• Info about the projects your fundraising will support

  How to enter

• Choose your team! Teams should be 3-5 people
• Select a Team Manager 
• Go to www.brightonhalfmarathon.com 
• Click on Enter Now – a new window will appear 
• Enter the Team Manager’s email address, click on Corporate Charity Challenge and register a group
• Follow through the registration process for each team member, ensuring that you select Quest4Change as your charity 
• You will receive a confirmation email when you are successfully registered, and if you do not complete registration you will be sent an email reminding you to finish the registration 
• Quest4Change will be notified that you have entered a team.

For further information, contact Rose on 01273 777206.

Fashioning a better life for Malawi

Nicole Lee returned from her 5 weeks' volunteering with Quest last summer in Malawi, full of motivation to keep on giving her time and energy to support the orphans and vulnerable children of Malawi.  Nikki not only raised over £3,100 last year, garnering an amazing amount of support from her work colleagues at CCS Mobile through her efforts last year, but is now putting on a charity Fashion Show to raise money for Joshua Orphan & Community Care and Save the Children.

"The Fashion Show" is taking place on 25th September, from 4-9pm, at the Roker Hotel in Sunderland and looks set to be an ace evening out, with Debenhams providing clothes with an African twist, takes place on September, music from local spinner DJ Oneluv, and a couple of dance crew.  Oh and not to mention the free wine and raffle with seriously good prizes...er, iPad anyone??  Tickets are £10 and available from Debenhams Beauty Counter, The Roker Hotel and Lickety Split.

Nicole, of Seaburn, said: “When I went to Malawi it was a real eye opener. Coming back really did change me. I work full time and go out socially but this really changed my outlook on life.
“It made me evaluate what I really needed and what I didn’t and made me a lot more conscious about what I was doing and buying.  To make sure all of those who contribute on the night are kept up-to-date with how their cash has been spent, Nicole plans on returning to Malawi next year.

Local businesses have also put forward raffle prizes and helped Nicole put on the event.  “The support has been overwhelming,” she said.

Want to get in on the fundraising action? Drop Rose a line rose@quest4change.org.

Join the 2012 Marathon Team!

One of the best ways to raise money whilst achieving a lifetime ambition is by doing a marathon - and where better than the brilliant seaside city of Brighton?  Read all about it and watch a video of the course here.

Run for Quest4Change in 2012...

Join the Quest4Change Brighton Marathon 2012 Team and we will help you with your fundraising and training. We've got four more places up for grabs, so sign up before they all disappear!

You'll receive:

• Entrance to dedicated charity village at the beginning and end of the race
• Fundraising tips and advice
• Help with online fundraising
• Sponsorship forms
• A Quest4Change t-shirt
• A marathon training program
• Information about the projects your fundraising will support

And best of all, 100% of the money you raise will go directly to the projects we support in Africa and South America.  Contact Rose on 01273 777206 to find out more...

Q4C Runners in 2010

Charity Internship Available

**POSITION NO LONGER AVAILABLE**

Quest4Change is offering a voluntary internship giving you the opportunity to get valuable hands-on experience within our small grassroots international development charity.

Role summary
This is a varied role, focused on research and fundraising. We will work with you to give you a range of experience and we will support you to attend training courses and seminars to build your key skills. This is a great opportunity for a hard-working, motivated, enthusiastic individual with an interest in development and fundraising.

What's in it for you?

• An insight into the charity sector
• The chance to develop key skills relevant to the charity sector
• The opportunity to research, write and edit reports and proposals
• A dedicated member of staff to support you throughout your internship

The main focus during your time with Quest will be helping with the production of an Impact Report on our achievements. Working closely with our staff, you will be involved in tasks such as gathering and collating of data, and drafting and editing. You will also be working with our staff to put together funding proposals for Trusts and Foundations.

Role requirements
The internship is open to undergraduates, graduates and people looking for a career move into the charity sector. Existing knowledge of development would be useful, but is not required.

We need our intern to be:

• Highly motivated
• Highly organised
• An excellent communicator
• Willing to learn
• Flexible
• Friendly and enthusiastic

The role is based in Hove, East Sussex, and while we are unable to offer paid internships, we can cover travel expenses up to £10 per day. We can only accept interns who are available to commit themselves for 1-2 days a week for a minimum period of 3 months. We offer flexible working hours.

More About Us
Quest4Change works with partner organisations on small scale grassroots projects in Africa and South America targeting the specific causes of poverty and environmental destruction. One of our main aims is to improve basic health and education infrastructure for the poorest people living in the communities we work with. We aim to establish strong relationships with each project partner; a minimum five year commitment is integral to the work we do, helping us ensure that we make a positive and tangible difference to the lives of the people with whom we work.Find out more at www.quest4change.org.

Interested candidates should e-mail CVs with a covering letter to rose@quest4change.org.  Please also feel free to contact Rose on 01273 777206 if you have any questions about the role.

If called for an interview, applicants will need to show evidence of their right to work in the UK.

The deadline for applications will be rolling and the vacancy will remain open until filled.

More fundraising fabulousness for Villa Maria

Another big thank you to a number of people who have generously donated to support Quest's work Villa Maria on behalf of Katie Ahsbridge:

For donations at Penny Ashbridge's 60^th - thank you to Mr & Mrs Hadley, Dr & Mrs Lewis and Mrs Healey! 

Thanks to Jane Powell and other staff at Peter Hickman's Hairdressers in Tewkesbury for a fantastic teddy bear raffle!

Great work by Jane Davies and other staff at the Bredon Hill Surgery in Tewkesbury for their quiz night - many thanks!

In Villa Maria, the school expansion is going well, and these funds raised will be very much appreciated by staff there, as they will go towards making the newly-built second storey more child-friendly.  A plaque in Katie's name will be placed on the school as recognition of all her family and friends have continued to do in support of Villa Maria.  Quest have a team of volunteers out in Villa Maria at the moment, who have just been painting the new classrooms with exciting pictures,  building homes for families in need, and entertaining the myriad kids with fancy dress costumes and cinema shows.

Keep an eye out on this page for future VM fundraising updates!

Price Waterhouse Coopers donate £500!

An enormous thank you to the accounting firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers,who have match funded the efforts of our Three Peaks Challenge team with a generous £500.  This brings the total raised by the nine-strong team to a fantastic £1,610.

What is match funding?  It's when a company agrees to match whatever you have raised, either with a set amount or with a percentage of what you have raised elsewhere.  It can be a great way of getting your workplace involved in yours and your chosen charity's efforts - for more information, contact rose@quest4change.org.

One hundred per cent of this money is heading over to Tanzania to be used on our Community Development Project in the area around Babati in the Manyara District.  This project works with local schools and community groups to create agricultural infrastructure and improve educational facilities.  With these efforts, the focus is always on supporting children and adults in the communities to work their own way out of poverty through developing skills and expertise that will allow them to address issues of nutrition, health, income and education.  Poverty is not a simple matter, and it requires a multi-faceted approach, which we are working to provide, in partnership with the Livingstone Tanzania Trust.

Find our more about our work in Tanzania.

Quest4Change conquers the UK!

Three of the Quest team, Si, Jon and Eoin, plus six other keen Quest4Change supporters and intrepid walkers headed off on a madcap dash around the corners of the UK, to complete the Three Peaks Challenge – summitting Snowdon, Scafell and Ben Nevis in under 24 hours…would they make it?  Of course they would!

The 9-strong team reached the top of Snowdon in an impressive three and a half hours and in fairly grim and cloudy conditions…none too shabby.

Scafell posed less of a challenge height-wise, but Simon managed to liven things up in his traditional Bolivian dress, leading one bemused but clearly impressed fellow fell-walker to tell him he looked ‘fabulous’….he clearly hadn’t noticed Si had his trousers on back-to-front!

Ben Nevis proved the longest and most tiring climb, not that this prevented Shane from dancing his way down the slopes.  All were agreed that the views from the top were well worth it:

 

 Well, nearly all...

Climbing:               13 hours

Driving:                  35 hours

Fundraising total:   £1,095...and counting (donate here)

3 Peaks - Charity Challenge for Quest 4 Change from Simon Tierney on Vimeo.

If you would like to raise money for Quest4Change by climbing Three Peaks, or even just one, please email rose@quest4change.org  or call 01273 777206 for more details.