More than 250 people from the Hindu community at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chigwell came together to participate in the BAPS 10K Charity Challenge on a warm and sunny Sunday 8 June 2025.
The participants – from toddlers through to senior citizens – walked, jogged or ran 10 kilometres around Chigwell Meadows in a fun-filled family and community event that raised vital funds for various good causes.
The annual Charity Challenge is a nationwide effort that brings together more than 3,000 enthusiastic participants at around 20 towns and cities across the country, offering a fun and healthy way to raise money for various local and national charities.
The funds will support BAPS’s multifarious educational, community, and spiritual activities in Essex, which serve children, youths, families, and the elderly.
The 2025 Challenge will also support BAPS’s national charity partner, Children With Cancer UK, which is the country’s leading childhood cancer charity aiming to help every child and young person survive cancer by funding life-saving research and supporting patients and their families through treatment and beyond.
The participants also raised funds for Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, a local charity which offers free life-saving service provided 24/7 by helicopters and by rapid response vehicles in the hours of darkness. Previous national partners for BAPS and BAPS Charities have included Age UK, the Alzheimer’s Society, the Anthony Nolan Trust, Barnardo’s, Breast Cancer Care, the British Heart Foundation, Carers UK, Diabetes UK, KIDS, Macmillan Cancer Support, and the NSPCC. Locally, in Essex, the Challenge has helped Chigwell Riding Trust in recent years.
The day ended with lunch back at the mandir.
Ian Thomas, volunteer at Essex & Herts Air Ambulance was present at the opening ceremony and completed the entire walk with devotees. In a short address before the walk began, Ian thanked BAPS for its continuing efforts in serving the wider community, saying, “Your generous support will help save so many lives" and explained how the charity operates. Ian expressed after the event how much he enjoyed his visit to the mandir and meeting people and is positive for the further collaboration opportunities between both charities.
Councillor Darshan Sunger, from Epping Forest District Council, was also present for the opening ceremony and commented on the positive impact BAPS has in the local area.
Sheena Patel, a leading volunteer at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Chigwell, added, “The annual Charity Challenge is inspired by His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, who teaches us to serve everyone in the community, regardless of faith or background, as a part of our moral and spiritual duty. We are grateful for this opportunity to come together – young and old – to support local charities.”