Be a good sport: From 24-hour-a-thons on Piazza to football initiatives in the city

Whether it be a marathon, a Tough Mudder, or a charity rugby match in a local park, sporting challenges are a great way to raise money for charity. Many clubs at the University use sport as a way of fundraising for good causes; there’s seemingly not a week that passes without some sort of 24-hour-a-thon taking place on the Piazza. Sport and charity are as inseparable as Batman and Robin, Mickey and Minnie, or… let’s face it, The Boar and Boaris.

Charity work in sport doesn’t stop at the University, however. An example of a local project is Sky Blues in the Community, Coventry City’s official charity which aims to use the team’s success to develop and deliver community programmes through the medium of football.

The two charities work together to run many attractions across the city, encouraging families and young people to get out and explore

The charity runs a range of events including football education programmes and school holiday clubs, plus educational events for the city’s elderly communities, including recent sessions in seated exercise.

As well as raising over £1.82 million in 2024, the charity has worked to get more people involved in football, regardless of their background. From getting more girls interested in football at school to setting up walking football groups for people with Parkinson’s, the charity’s work is certainly far-reaching in the community.

Coventry East MP Mary Creagh described their “special connection” to the city as important to “changing the lives of people in Coventry and Warwickshire”.

Another charity which seeks to make a difference in the local area is the Coventry Sports Foundation – an organisation which works alongside Culture Coventry to deliver “positive social impact” through events at local attractions, community outreach projects, and education programmes.

Sport really is a perfect way to get involved and support a charity

Merged under the banner of CV Life, the two charities work together to run many attractions across the city, encouraging families and young people to get out and explore – from The Wave waterpark to Coventry’s Transport and Herbert Art museums.

Upon the launch of CV Life in 2021, the charity’s CEO Paul Breed said that the organisation would have a “positive impact” on the city, “developing links between many of the city’s largest attractions” to “encourage visitors to the city to stay longer and explore more”.

That work has certainly come to fruition over the last few years with over 2.6 million visitors to CV Life’s venues last year, an increase in 10% of people committing to exercise programmes, and over 12,000 hours of school PE delivered by the charity’s staff.

Sport really is a perfect way to get involved and support a charity. As we celebrate all things charity here at The Boar this print, why not think about taking part in a charity sports event yourself? You could challenge yourself to take on 56 miles for Mind in February, prepare to run the Leamington Half Marathon in June, or choose from a range of fitness challenges to support the Teenage Cancer Trust. Get your trainers on and get involved!