Runners Help Raise More Than £5k For Charity At The Ageas Bowl 10k

Around 800 runners helped raise over five thousand pounds for charity by taking part in The Ageas Bowl 10k.

The popular annual race starts and finishes at the headquarters of Hampshire Cricket in West End – making it one of the most unique 10k events in the UK.

Hundreds of runners made it to the finish line, which was on the outfield in front of the stadium’s iconic pavilion and were given their finisher’s medals.

The event is becoming increasingly popular with local club runners – including many who use it as a final training run ahead of the Great South Run.

But the main purpose of the event, which The Ageas Bowl hosts in partnership with Running Mania is to raise money for the Hampshire Cricket Foundation – and 2023 was another stellar year on that front.

The charity has already previously donated more than £100,000 to help support the construction of a specialist rehabilitation space within the general intensive care unit at University Hospital Southampton and provided regular grants to a wide range of local good causes, each helping support people in the city and across the county.

Now the money raised from this year’s The Ageas Bowl 10k will go towards the charity’s wider fundraising efforts to help fund projects which support young people in urban areas. This work includes a string of initiatives in inner city Southampton, where Hampshire Cricket runs its Hawks Academy to help young people who otherwise may not have access to sport to play regular cricket and benefit from elite coaching.

Carol Harwood, who is helping lead the foundation’s fundraising efforts at The Ageas Bowl, said: “The Ageas Bowl 10k is growing in popularity each and is a fundraising event in our calendar that we look forward to with anticipation.

“To see so many people from the local community come along and participate in the 10K this year with huge smiles on their faces was amazing and the support of each and every person who signed up will now help provide opportunities for young people living locally to get active and access the many benefits that sport and physical activity provides, not just for themselves but in terms of the ripple effect that participation in sport has on their families and wider communities.

“Our thanks go to everyone who took part and, of course, to all the people who came along to support the event and encourage all the runners on the day.”

To find out more about the Hampshire Cricket Foundation, or to donate, visit www.ageasbowl.com/foundation