On 3rd October 2021, our colleague Belynda Deliva, Account Director for Assistance, will represent Collinson in the London Marathon in order to raise money for our charity partner, Save the Children. Building on our existing partnership with the charity, Belynda will take on the 26.2 mile challenge alongside Save the Children’s marathon team, in a joint effort to support their cause of helping disadvantaged children across the world to reach their full potential.
Already a keen runner, Belynda’s motivation and enjoyment for the sport has only increased throughout the COVID-19 lockdown period in the UK, where she has had more time to focus on her sporting passion. Having already completed the Park Run Half-Marathon in October 2019, Belynda has decided to push herself one step further and set herself the goal of completing her first full marathon. Originally planning to complete this goal in May at another marathon event, due to an injury meaning she could not partake, she has now set her sights on the infamous London Marathon.
In order to prepare for the event, Belynda has kicked off her training by utilising her mornings before work to complete shorter runs, whilst on the weekend she uses her extra time to train across longer distances. When possible, she also trains with North Face’s London running community, the Never Stop London team, on Tuesday nights, as well as participating within their trail running days. In between her running sessions, Belynda also undertakes strength and core workouts for extra conditioning.
Belynda at the Maverick Race event in Kent
I’m extremely excited to be running the London Marathon in support of Save the Children, especially since I will be the sole Collinson representative! Completing this personal challenge for such an amazing cause makes my first marathon even more special.
Having already begun the fundraising process for her first marathon in May which she could not complete due to injury, Belynda will also be donating these funds once she completes her London marathon challenge. Collinson will be doubling all of the funds raised by Belynda as part of our Match Giving Policy. If you’d like to contribute to the amazing work Save the Children does, or show your support to Belynda and the Save the Children marathon team, please visit here.
Our partnership with Save the Children
We’ve been working with Save the Children since February 2020. As the world continues to struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic, Save the Children’s work has never been so important in helping young people around the world reach their potential.
Conflict, pandemics and natural disasters threaten millions of children's survival and well-being every year and the humanitarian needs are greater today than ever before. Save the Children’s Emergency Fund allows them to respond wherever the need is greatest. It means they can be on the ground within hours of a disaster striking, so they can reach children immediately with the essentials they need to survive. As COVID-19 took hold, Save the Children used the fund to support children in the UK and around the world to access vital healthcare, clean water and sanitation, and provide opportunities to continue their education.
Belynda’s London Marathon participation is just one of the running challenges undertaken by our colleagues in order to raise money for numerous charities, including Save the Children. Last winter, our Head of Insurance, Lawrence Watts, ran a total of 1000km in a personal fundraising challenge for Save the Children. Collinson were also represented in the 2020 Virtual London Marathon by our Acquisition Marketing Coordinator for Priority Pass, Karina Rojo, in support of the mental health initiative Heads Together.
