Wickersley 10K set to raise thousands for The Children’s Hospital Charity

Sponsored by Keepmoat, the Yorkshire-based home builder, the course will start from Wickersley School and Sports College, making its way towards Brampton, and turning round again in a closed circuit.

This exciting community event has been organised by Scott Bailey-Rush and other members of ‘Team Nick’. Since 2009, Team Nick has been fundraising in memory of Nick Walker, who was tragically killed in a road traffic accident outside Wickersley School.

A year after Nick died, the group of friends decided they wanted to do something in his memory, and his family asked that any money raised through their efforts was donated to The Children’s Hospital Charity, which supports Sheffield Children’s to change lives every day, by going over and above the NHS provision.

More than 15 years later, the group have raised an astonishing £115k for the charity so far and show no signs of stopping. From climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, a coast-to-coast triathlon, and a gruelling cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats, Team Nick has continually challenged themselves year on year - but at the start of 2024, the team wanted to do something on a much bigger scale that would bring together the whole community and create a lasting legacy in Nick’s name. After spending more than a year crafting the perfect event and route, the Wickersley 10k was born.

“This is a true community event.” said Team Nick’s Scott Bailey-Rush, “It combines the very best of community spirit from businesses and supporters. You can really feel the buzz about it in Wickersley, and the overwhelming joy that it’s bringing.

“There’s a real feel-good factor about the whole project, which is what people need when there’s so much doom and gloom in the world. We’ve brought together a whole community of people, some of which have never tried running before, but who share our passion for supporting this incredible charity, and honouring Nick.”

Team Nick aimed to raise £10k from the race – “10k for £10k” - but have already smashed their target and are set to generate more than double that amount.

Scott said: “We can’t believe how amazing the response has been – it means the absolute world to us. Nick has always been, and will always be, at the heart of everything we do. We really want to keep this going as an annual event to keep his memory alive.”

The Children’s Hospital Charity’s Head of Community and Events, Cheryl Davidson, said: “We are so grateful to Scott and the whole of Team Nick for their continual support of the charity over the years. Thanks to their fundraising, we have been able to support Sheffield Children’s by helping to fund life-saving equipment, new facilities, a comfortable environment and vital research, which changes paediatric care for thousands of children from across the world.

“The commitment that Scott and the team show to the charity and, more importantly, to the legacy of Nick is nothing short of spectacular. They are all superstars, and we look forward to the inaugural Wickersley 10K.”

The race is still open for entries but will close on 2 March, so runners need to be quick if they still want to sign up. Team Nick are also looking for a number of volunteers to help marshal and organise the event on the day.

If you’re interested in taking part as a runner you can still sign up here. Or ,if you're interested in volunteering at this event, please register your interest here.