Gary Lineker has presented Sport Relief since its beginning and other hosts this year include Davina McCall, Fearne Cotton, David Walliams, Gabby Logan, John Bishop, Jack Whitehall and Claudia Winkleman, with a few of them getting involved in some rather intense challenges to raise money for charity. Davina McCall, for example, swam, ran and cycled from Edinburgh to London in seven days.
The One Show presenter Alex Jones is climbing Utah’s 1200 ft Moonlight Buttress, and ex-footballers Alan Shearer and Robbie Savage took part in a head-to-head contest named ‘Battle of the Backsides’. This battle lasted five days, and required the two to sit in a total of 45,000 seats at Wembley Stadium. Robbie Savage broke a world record by sitting on 86 seats in one minute, but Alan Shearer won the head-to-head race.
Boxer Amir Khan, cyclist Victoria Pendleton and musician Angel Haze are taking part in the Sport Relief Bike Ride, but perhaps the most Herculean task goes to Nick Grimshaw and various other Radio 1 personalities, who are going on a 25,000 mile Round the World challenge. Grimshaw’s leg of the challenge was a 12 hour bike ride in a large, transparent box outside the British Broadcasting House.
Those looking to join in with Sport Relief 2014 without the need of going through a ‘Week of Hell’ can do so by signing up for the Sport Relief Mile, Swimathon or the Cycle. The Swimathon takes place between Friday 21st March and Sunday 23rd March, while the Sport Relief Mile and Cycle takes place on Sunday 23rd March. Participants can choose the sorts of distances they wish to run, swim or cycle, and all three events are taking place throughout London and the UK.
Although the simplest way to start get sponsorship for Sport Relief is by joining in with one of the runs, swims or cycles, there are plenty of other ways to contribute. Once you’ve applied for your fundraising kit, your imagination becomes the limit. Sponsored silences, ditching the work attire (a great excuse to go to work dressed as a sporting superstar or in a onesie) or setting up a swear jar are all great ways of raising money. Some may even dress up as a servant for a day and do some chores in the office or around the home for a small fee.
Primary and secondary schools can also join in on Sport Relief. Sports Days are a great way of organising numerous sport-related fundraising activities (e.g. teachers could do a competitive fun run in fancy dress), and there are plenty of non-sporting events to participate in, like the Great Sport Relief Bake Off.
Sport Relief has been generating more and more interest in recent years, especially as it has seen some rather spectacular feats of human endurance and stamina amongst celebrities
