**UPDATE

Hi everyone, we are Hoddesdon Cricket Club, and we’ve set ourselves a challenge to start the year, and help change people’s lives.

Life already came with its challenges, but the effects of Coronavirus have started to hit people harder.

Nearly a year into lockdown, and nearly 45% of England have suffered from worsened mental health. Nearly 25% of us have felt more lonely, worried and anxious as the pandemic has gone on. People have lost their jobs, suffered pay cuts, or have to juggle work and family life.

That’s where we come in.

We set ourselves a challenge to run the distance from Hoddesdon Cricket Club, to the Emirates Riverside - via the other 8 test grounds on route. That’s 556 miles there, and 556 back - 1112 miles total. Well...

We came, we ran, we conquered...

Hoddesdon Test Marathon? Completed it mate!

1112 miles covered in just over 7 days, and 400% of our target raised to support our local mental health charity, and our juniors affected by the pandemic. Incredible effort indeed. A team of 20 runners became nearly 80... but the January transfer window is still open!

Our team ranges from early teens to over 70s! It’s been great to see so many people get involved, not just to complete our goal - but to get people out and about too... we have had nearly every runner tell us how much fitter, happier, and refreshed they feel - don’t underestimate exercise!

For that reason, and by extreme popular demand... we begin challenge number 2...

‘The Hoddesdon Community Challenge - The Race to Ahmedabad‘

From Lowfield to India .. we’re now taking on the distance between our ground and the final Test ground of the current England V India series.

4249.4 miles is the challenge .. but we're confident we can do this, and here’s how you can help:

If not already, make a Strava account (free!) and join our club page - https://www.strava.com/clubs/hoddesdoncc

Walk / Run / Cycle - any distance counts and all miles are worth the same! Please just upload the ACTIVITY AS A RUN on Strava - so that it syncs to our page - and name the activity accordingly - ‘Community Challenge - run/walk/cycle - ie. ‘Community Challenge Run’ or ‘community challenge Cycle’.

Share with friends and family! Share the strava link and push your friends and family to get out and about and help the cause too.

What’s already been an incredible team effort, can now become much more than that. Let’s push ourselves, friends and family to join us in our challenge - who knows the impact this can have!

We are asking for you to donate and support us - so that we can help those around us. If you can, please share with any new members should they wish to donate or push to their friends and family for support.

The Forever Ahead Community provides structured counselling and recovery support services for people suffering issues around stress, anxiety and depression. With 75% of our funds raised donated to this charity based in Hertfordshire, we will be directly helping the people who live around us.

The other 25% of our funds raised will be used to cover the costs of coaching we provide at Hoddesdon Cricket Club, for our youngsters whose families have been affected by the pandemic financially - and who cannot afford the costs of their coaching.

We want people to know that you are never alone, and that it is okay not to be okay. Help us give back to those around us, and support each other in the tough times around us. Please share our page and donate if you can.

Thank you for your time, stay safe.