Lionheart 125th Anniversary Challenge
Lionheart, the benevolent fund that supports RICS members and their families, is 125 years old. Even if you are a student, retired, have taken a career break, or have decided surveying is no longer for you, if you have paid an RICS membership fee at any time, you are entitled to their support.
Many of you have benefitted from Lionheart's support and encouragement, so I know you will join me in doing what you can to raise money and help foster much-needed community and collaboration in the surveying profession. Ultimately, Lionheart is a charity; the more support it offers, the more funds are needed.
For the past few years, some of the larger surveying firms have raised money by competing against each other. This year, however, we are all working together to participate in Lionheart’s 125th Anniversary Challenge.
What You Will Be Doing
Create a team of three people and come up with a good team name.
You need to agree on how you are going to either:
- Run 125 miles as a team
- Walk 125 km as a team
- Or Cycle 125 miles as a team member
You have the month of June to complete the challenge, so there is plenty of time to do it.
Each team is expected to raise at least £125 between three people; this is doable! And as we are hoping to get 125 teams to raise £125 that means at least £15,625 which will make the world of difference for Lionheart and the resources it provides.
Who Can Take Part?
Anyone! You can register your team as long as one person is connected to the surveying profession. If you work for yourself, you’re free to include family members and friends—even members of your local running club if you’d like!
You can join and register multiple teams, but each team can only perform one type of activity. Even if you are in more than one team, each team still needs to raise at least £125.
If you are not part of a company like many of us SMEs, students or those of us who are the only surveyors in your company, here are some suggestions for finding team members:
- Student or trainee? Involve your colleagues and mentors.
- Retired? Once a surveyor, always a surveyor - arrange a meet-up with your old pals.
- Keen dog walker? Put a shout-out for other pet owners and plan a doggie meet-up day.
- Health challenges? Don’t let that stop you. This is a great way to improve your fitness and share your progress. If you need any help or are less abled to do so, we will ensure you can get involved safely and with support.
- Footballer? See if you and a couple of mates can also cover the distance while scoring goals.
- Member of a beer club? It's time for a walk and crawl.
- Part of a Regional Board or Committee? Organise a walk and talk or tour of your local area.
Or perhaps, like me, you are forever restarting the C25K. Set up a chat group and connect with others for support and accountability.
If you get stuck or can’t find a buddy, reach out to The Surveyor Hub, and we will help you connect. This is not just a fundraiser; it is also a community event and a fun way for surveyors to connect and get to know each other.
If you are part of a cycling team, please don’t use electrically assisted bikes unless this is an accessibility requirement.
Next Steps
1. Register Your Team
When you have your team together, register it with Lionheart using this link.
Share your team and members' names, the best contact details, the activity your team will be doing, and the company you’ll be representing.
2 Track Your Progress
Agree with your teammates on the details of your activity, and track your distances as a team through the Strava app.
Each Thursday, take a screenshot of the Strava Team page and send it to us. We will tell you where to send it once your team is registered with Lionheart.
There will be a league table because we know how competitive some of you like to be!
3. Raising Money
Lionheart is a charity supported through JustGiving. SDL has set up the main page; just add your team here.
To raise £125 for each team for Lionheart, share your page link with as many people and businesses as you know—it’s a great way to engage with colleagues and clients. Remember to share your journey in as many ways as possible as you complete your challenge to keep yourself and others motivated.
And that's it!
You can find more information here, and if you have any questions contact [email protected] or
