- Gatwick will be an official main partner at one of the UK’s most popular marathon
- 20,000 free reusable water bottles will be given to runners, event staff and volunteers to promote sustainable practices
- Gatwick to waive fee for Cancer Research UK Kids and Teens Mini Mile Races to encourage more participants and donations to charity
LONDON, UK, 2019-Apr-15 — /Travel PR News/ — Gatwick has been announced as an official main partner for the Brighton Marathon and will issue 20,000 free reusable water bottles to runners and volunteers as part of the airport’s drive to promote sustainable practices.
The airport will also waive the fee for the Cancer Research UK Kids and Teens Mini Mile races to encourage more participants and donations to charity. Instead of an entry fee, participants will be invited to make an optional donation to race sponsor Cancer Research UK. Making the event free to enter will also give children, who might not have otherwise taken part, the opportunity to be part of one of the largest youth races in the UK.
The Brighton Marathon will be held on 14th April 2019 and is the 2nd largest in the UK and the 8th largest in Europe, with 12,000 runners expected to start and up to 200,000 spectators.
Sustainability is an important focus for Gatwick as the airport continues to progress its Decade of Change programme. Gatwick was the first airport to secure accreditation as a zero waste to landfill airport by the Carbon Trust.
Gatwick has partnered with the marathon as its helps to raise money for charities nationally and regionally and because it promotes local health and wellbeing – both of which form key aspects in the airport’s community engagement strategy.
The airport will also be supporting its charity partners at the Event Village, with co-branding of St Catherine’s Hospice and Kent, Sussex and Surrey Air Ambulance Marquees – two vital local charities that will hopefully receive more donations as a result of their increased exposure to the 200,000 spectators expected during the marathon weekend in Brighton.
Melanie Wrightson, Community Engagement Manager, London Gatwick, said:
“We are excited to be sponsoring the Brighton Marathon Weekend again this year and hope that giving away reusable water bottles helps to reduce litter and single use plastics at the event, while also raising awareness on how important sustainability is for our local environment.
“We are also supporting the Brighton Marathon Weekend because it promotes the health and wellbeing of so many local people and it raises a fantastic amount money for good causes across the region.
“The Gatwick team wish all this year’s runners the best of luck.”
Tom Naylor, Event Director, Brighton Marathon Weekend, said: “The Brighton Marathon Weekend is an event with so many positive associations, from encouraging thousands of people to get outdoors and active, to the millions of pounds raised for charity and spent in the local economy. It is our goal to maintain that positive association in all that we do, including our sustainability efforts. By developing our plastics policy and reducing our impact on the environment, we hope to set new standards within the running events industry and help develop the way in which events operate and use plastics in the future. We are so grateful for Gatwick’s continued support and for making the provision of reusable bottle possible.”
About Gatwick Airport
Gatwick’s Airport is the UK’s second largest airport. It serves more than 230 destinations in 74 countries for 46 million passengers a year on short and long-haul point-to-point services. Gatwick is also a major economic driver and generates around 85,000 jobs nationally, with 24,000 of these located on the airport. The airport is south of Central London with excellent public transport links, including the Gatwick Express, and is part of the Oyster contactless payment network.
Gatwick’s 2018 draft master plan sets out proposals for the airport’s ongoing development and sustainable growth. It also outlines the airport’s latest thinking on how it can meet the increasing demand for air travel and provide Britain with enhanced global connectivity. A 12-week public consultation closed on 10 January 2019, and a consultation response summary and final master plan will be published later in 2019.
For further information on Gatwick Airport see www.gatwickairport.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatwick_Airport
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Source: GATWICK AIRPORT