Healthy Heart Charity Action Day
When April 20th 2012.
What Can I Do?
You have two options to get involved and it's your choice as to what format to take.
1. Join an event There will be‘official’ events in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Sligo, organised by the District and Student Societies in that area. You are welcome to join in such collective events in these centres. Further details of these events will be made available in early 2012 on this webpage and via dedicated e-newsletters. Please also check the dedicated district society and student websites for more details.
2. Organise your own Alternatively you can organise your own event, be it a run, walk or cycle at a location of your choosing. Some suggestions are detailed below but watch out for more information on organising your event in our e-newsletters. Finally, if you have any queries, please email the CSR Committee.
How do I raise funds? After you register to get involved in the Charity Day, you will receive a sponsorship pack in the post. This will contain a t-shirt to wear on 20th April, a sponsorship card to record sponsors' details, and a bank lodgment slip for the charity in your region. When you have raised all your donations, please send the funds to your charity using the lodgment slip. Please insert 'Chartered Accountants Ireland' in the narrative on the slip.
Alternatively, please ask supporters to make donations online. In the Republic, you can set up your own page on the My Charity website. your supporters can then donate using credit card details, if you circulate your link. Please visit the Institute's page on My Charity here:
http://www.mycharity.ie/event_calendar.php?charityID=36
for Northern Ireland-based members, the online donation option is to visit www.mydonate.com
Contact your key supporters by phone or email. Spread the word at any scheduled meetings. Posters will help you spread awareness of the walk/run or cycle within your workplace. If you would like to receive some posters with space to write your event, please email Charity Day.
Where do I organise my own event? Choose a local route that has good underfoot conditions and is considered safe. We recommend routes for walking and running with paths, off-road routes or very quiet country roads. Check out www.irishtrails.ie or Walk NI. A good tip is to walk the route yourself before the day so there are no surprises!
How far should I walk / run / cycle? We are encouraging people to take some form of exercise, either walking, running or cycling. A 5km walk should take approximately 1 hour depending on the pace of your walk. A 5km run may take an experienced runner 40 mins. Each group may be different in terms of experience and abilities. The focus is to get out and exercise, so if a 1km is what your team are able for so be it. For more seasoned trekkers why not challenge yourselves? Just let us know the distance, difficulty and average time to complete and we can register your walk details on the charity day webpage.
What should I tell my team? Let the other participants know the length of the walk/run/cycle and approximately how long it will take to complete. Make sure people know that rain or shine it will take place. Whatever the exercise, you and fellow volunteers should drink water before, during and after to prevent dehydration.
Do I need to inform anyone of my event? If you expect a group of over 20 we recommend that you advise local police / Gardaí.
If organsing your own local event, consider:
- Possible emergencies and first aid before you set out
- Advising walkers/runners/cyclists to take care
- Recruiting more than one organiser. You will need back-up at the front and back of the group, to ensure everyone stays together!
- Availability of Hi –Vis jackets
Remember - Have Fun but Stay Safe!
Walk NI has some good suggestions on walking routes in Northern Ireland. For the Republic, Sli na Sláinte routes Check to see if there is an Irish Heart Foundation ‘ Slí na Sláinte’ (Path to Health) walking route near you and use our signage to help you measure the distance for your walk or run www.irishheart.ie/sli