WESTBURY’S annual Hilly Helmet Challenge has now raised over £35,000 for the charity Brain Tumour Support over the past six years. This year’s running event, which sees participants wearing striking and fun headgear, raised approximately £9,000 for the charity.
The Hilly Helmet, now in its seventh year, this year saw 130 runners run just over four miles at Leighton Recreation Centre on Wednesday 16th August with an array of creative headgear, aiming to win the prize for the best helmet. This popular event saw people from across the country come to Westbury to take part, with others completing the run at home at the same time as the event if they could not attend. The winner of this year’s event was Edward Knudsen with a time of 25.38.
Robin-Mark Schols created the annual Hilly Helmet Challenge in 2017 after his own experience of having to wear a safety helmet for a year following brain surgery complications. After permission from his specialist, he continued to run during that time and so based the event on that experience.
Speaking about this year’s event, Robin-Mark said, “I understand the financial climate isn’t great for people currently, but it was so lovely to see so many people come out to support this event and as always, every penny raised will go to Brain Tumour Support. We have just confirmed a corporate donation of just over £6,000 which, coupled with the money raised directly from the Hilly Helmet Challenge, means we have smashed the long-term target of raising £30,000 for the charity, which is an amazing thing to say!
“We had everything at this year’s event – from a flamingo on someone’s head to three girls who designed helmets to make them look like a human fruit machine, which was just fantastic. The best helmet was given to Rohaise de Voex who came wearing a big birthday cake – and it turns out it was actually her birthday on the day as well! It’s so lovely seeing people really throw themselves into the creative side of the event.
“A massive thank you to the Westbury and District Cricket Club and Leighton Recreation Centre who did their best to create a nice vibe to the evening, with the cricket club providing the bar and barbecue. We have amazing event sponsors, Sportsbug, who pick up the cost of the event, so we can say truthfully that every penny raised from the event goes to the charity.”
Robin-Mark says that the ‘ever-present runners’ – the people who have taken part in the Hilly Helmet Challenge each year since it first started – were recognised for their commitment and they were given a special ‘ace of helmets’ memento to attach to their helmets, reminiscent of the trademark of the members of the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army who used to wear the Ace of Spades on their helmet.
The Hilly Helmet Challenge currently has a 4.91/5-star rating on the Racecheck website, with the event picking up a gold Racecheck award in both 2019 and 2022. If you took part in the event, then Robin-Mark is urging people to rate it on the Racecheck website.
“If anyone has any feedback, please do rate us on Racecheck as it will get the word out to other runners who may not know about this event,” he said. “I’m proud that people seem to really enjoy this event that is a little bit different and I think we provide a nice feeling on the evening, that means everyone is welcome.
“A lot of running events are expensive, whereas we are very clear that we are here to support the charity as well as providing a slightly different run for people to take part in – I think this is partly why people keep coming back each year. New to this year’s Hilly Helmet was a walking section, which was great as it means we can open the event up to more and more people.”
Brain Tumour Support CEO and founder, Tina Mitchell Skinner said, “Robin-Mark never ceases to amaze me with his determination and his high achievements, not only in his own personal journey, but in raising money and awareness for Brain Tumour Support.
“We are proud to see his continued passion for our work, and his commitment helps us to continue to offer much-needed support to individuals and families facing the impact of a brain tumour. His unwavering loyalty to Brain Tumour Support means so much to us.”
Robin-Mark, who won a BBC Radio Wiltshire Make a Difference Award last year for his fundraising efforts with this challenge, says he plans to go ahead with the eighth Hilly Helmet Challenge next year – to stay up to date with the event, search Hilly Helmet Challenge on Facebook.
