Knowle Fun Run—the first 25 years

Sounds Familiar: The first Knowle Fun Run at 12noon on Sunday 13th May, was one of the highlights of the 1984 Knowle Festival, with around 500 runners completing 2 laps of the same 2.5 mile course around Knowle as it is today, and raising around £300 for charity. There were 19 trophies to be won including Fancy Dress & a Mini Run for the under 9’s; and everyone was given a certificate. Entry fees of £1 (50p for children) but late entries were deterred at £2 on the day. Widney Sports were receiving entry forms and Lashford’s butchers (now Walter Smith) were running a BBQ and selling a special Festival Sausage. A top mystery celebrity was due to line up on the start line. I wonder who that might have been?

Isobel Robertson, who lived at the top of Milverton Road where the first runs started for many years, was one of the mainstays to the organisation of the first 10 Fun Runs, and the Lions helped laying out the field. After 10 years the Lions were asked to take over the total responsibility for the event and the 15 or so of us had great reservations. There were something around 200 runners and the Fun Run needed new life. Attempts to change the route, or even extend it to 10km were frustrated by the potential additional disruption to traffic and the need for extra marshals.

The next few years we tried to introduce a Fun element with stalls and rides on the playing fields and vintage cars preceding the runners around the course, but soon came to the conclusion that runners did not bring much cash with them and it was not going to work.

In 1996 we re-launched the Fun Run programme and started attracting advertising and sponsors to help fund the whole event, delivering copies the Lions free of charge to homes in the area. Our main sponsors ever since have been Hunters Estate Agents. We are very grateful for their and all our sponsors and programme advertisers support who allow us to donate virtually every penny of entry fee, sponsorship and now Gift Aid to charity. To their credit some local companies have supported us every year since. The numbers of runners started creeping up.

In those days we nominated just one charity to benefit from your efforts, then two, but since 2003 we have put together the funds raised at our Lions Festive Walk, Easter Egg Raffles and the Fun Run and shared the proceeds with three charities and retained a proportion for local causes.

For the Millennium the Fun Run programme became the Knowle 2000 Souvenir programme and the day took on a different dimension with t-shirts of many different colours depicting the 16 estate teams seeking to score points from the Run. There has been a different coloured Fun Run t-shirt every year since, initially with free ones for the junior runners and recently the Mini-Runners, sponsored by Bannister's Opticians.

The next year, our Lions Club's 25th year, Jasper challenged runners to "Beat the Carrott", offering £10 to charity for every runner who beat him to the finish line. It cost Jasper £5000! There was another target - to the Lions to increase the number of runners to 1000, quite a challenge from 550 the previous year. We did it, but only just, with 1003 registered runners, although only 893 started the race. The reaction from the Police when the Solihull papers printed the number - 'if we had known there was going to be that many we would have banned it!’ Since then the Police have been very supportive and we have adopted their safety stipulations, including road closures and two starts.

Jasper entertained the runners for a few years but unfortunately has had to give up competitive running. Since then the Lions have invited a number of VIPs to run or at least start the Fun Run and award the prizes. Local MP Caroline Spelman has been a great ambassador and parent encouraging her 3 children to run with her. Other names have included Bev Bevan, Joanne Malin, Kay Alexander, Shefali Oza, Phil Upton and many Solihull Mayors. If you know someone who you think would like to be asked please get in touch.

Since "Beat the Carrott" there have been new developments practically every year. 2002 was the Queen's Golden Jubilee Run when we introduced the first Mini Run, and the next year came electronic timing as featured in marathons, with microchips for runners to wear on their ankles. We have also had a stage, gantry and podium built. More recently Bryant’s have provided us with excellent rewards for those completing the runs - a medal in 2004 and a cap in 2005.

The number of runners keeps growing, with both the Fun Run and now the Mini Run both split into two starts for safety reasons. In 1994 there was just one team entered — Lashford's who won the trophy they sponsor for many years. With the introduction of Secondary and then Junior teams trophies there were over 100 teams last year. Walter Smith have kept the running butcher tradition alive, with their Finance Director winning the event 4 times and their team's taking the new Walter Smith Team trophy back to Knowle Precinct regularly.

In 2001 we started claiming Gift Aid when sponsors ticked the box and since 2004 runners have been able to download entry forms from our website. From 2006 we have had on-line registration, and Gift Aid claimed made a big difference exceeding £7,000 in that year alone.

For it's Silver Jubilee the Fun Run is in fine shape with as many runners as ever raising more money than ever for worthy causes. We estimate that at present day values the Fun Run will have raised over £500,000 for charity. Knowle and Dorridge Lions are a registered charity (No.509993) and with that came the responsibility to have our accounts audited and submitted to the Charity Commission every year.

What next? That could be up to you. We need your help this year to ensure the continued success of our great community event and Solihull's biggest fundraising Fun Run.

Interested? Please call Dave Carter today on 01564 770749 or email info@knowlefunrun.org.uk.

If you have spotted any errors or omissions contact us now.

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First Fun Run start in Milverton Road part of th 1984 Knowle Festival

Knowle Fun Run—the first 25 years

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