For the Huddersfield Marathon Band, marching a marathon is no problem. Raising £60,000 for charity is a little more difficult.
The band is raising money and awareness for the charity Sense, a UK national deafblind charity. During its march in the Virgin London Marathon in 2011, Huddersfield raised £37,500, about $61,000.
Currently, the band has collected £14,500 ($24,000) toward its goal. The band does concerts, dinners and half marathons in order to gain exposure. This year, the group is planning to run the Oulton Park half marathon about two months before the 2014 London Marathon.
Since 2011, the band has become an independent group and has expanded from 20 members to 33. “We invited people from different parts of the country to join the band, to spread the word of the charity,” says Mike Lomas, founder of the Huddersfield Marathon Band.
The group had set the Guinness World Record for “the fastest marathon by a marching band.” A German band beat the record in 2012 after completing one in about seven and a half hours. Huddersfield plans to take the record back by completing the marathon in less than seven hours.
The band needs your help to reach its charitable goal. Visit www.hmb2014.com to donate.
