SIZZLING SUCCESS: SAWSTON'S 2023 FLAGSHIP EVENT SMASHES RECORD!

A heartfelt appreciation goes out to our amazing sponsors, enthusiastic participants, and dedicated volunteers who made the 37th year of dynamic fundraising an absolute triumph. We’re thrilled to announce that 2023 saw an unprecedented number of participants, with a staggering 1,335 entrants joining the festivities. Our incredible community rallied together, generously contributing over £14,000, pushing our overall fundraising total to an impressive £520,852. With immense pride, we lent our support to two incredible causes, the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity and the Cambridge Cancer Help Centre, serving as our main beneficiaries for 2023.Since 1986, The Sawston Fun Run and Walk has consistently been the crown jewel of our village, uniting families for a day filled with laughter, joy, and entertainment. This annual extravaganza not only brings our community together but also serves as a powerful force for good. With proceeds donated to local charities and organisations, we’re not just breaking records; we’re making a lasting impact in the most delightful way possible.

GET READY TO MAKE SUNDAY MAY 12TH 2024 OUR BEST YEAR EVER!

This year’s response from charities and good causes for funding at the 2024 Sawston Fun Run & Walk was nothing short of astounding. The passion and dedication exhibited by these organisations left us inspired and motivated. Amidst the sea of applications, we faced the challenging task of selecting recipients for our support.But guess what? Instead of narrowing our focus to just a handful, we’ve decided to champion the efforts of 24 smaller, local charities and organisations. These are the unsung heroes making a significant impact on our community, each with a unique mission that resonates with our values. By choosing this diverse group, we’re ensuring that our collective efforts make a widespread and meaningful difference in the lives of those who need it most.

Unlock the excitement with entry fees priced at just £15 per adult and £6 per child.

SUPPORTING 24 LOCAL ORGANISATIONS IN ‘24’


Picture this: a day filled with excitement and purpose, surrounded by family and friends, all coming together to support these 24 exceptional causes at the 2024 Sawston Fun Run & Walk. Your participation isn’t just about enjoying a fantastic day—it’s about actively supporting the fabric of our community and making a lasting impact on the organisations that enrich our lives.So, mark your calendars for May 12th, and let’s make 2024 the year where we come together to celebrate community, compassion, and the spirit of giving! A full list of the 24 organisations we intend to support for 2024 can be found here: View all 24 organisations
William Westley CE Primary School
The Shelford & Stapleford Youth Initiative
Sawston Army Cadets
Power2Inspire
Sawston Nursery
Anglian Leisure
Footprints Café Ltd
A M Challis Trust Ltd
Sawston Village History Society
Active with Parkinsons Cambs
Friends at Bellbird School (Fabs)
Touch My World Productions
Thriplow School PTA
Sawston Toy Library
Pippins Preschool
Sawston Let's Run Girls
Sawston Helping Out Together (SHOUT)
Sawston Air Cadets
1st Sawston Boys' & Girls' Brigade
1st Sawston Scouts
Sanskruti Cambridge CIC
Whittlesford District Girlguiding
Chapelfield Way Community Centre
John Huntingdon’s Charity

Footprints Community Cafe

Footprints Community Café

In 2001 the charity known as ‘Opportunities Without Limits (OWL) formed a partnership with Sawston Free Church to create a visionary community facility. £500k was fundraised to build a community café that was also a training centre for people with learning difficulties.

The reality of that vision is the Footprints Café which, in various forms, has served the community for over 20 years. Footprints is a ‘not for profit’ company; it is also an accredited provider of services for people with learning difficulties.

Footprints Community Cafe

Footprints is unique in that it offers a real-life training experience for its students.  They learn many transferable skills such as food hygiene, health and safety in the kitchen, following recipes and, most significantly, social interaction with the general public.

Indeed, it is the high profile that Footprints gives to its trainees that has helped to reshape the perception of ‘disability’ in the local community.

Footprints is also a warm and welcoming hub where groups gather and rearrange the tables for their weekly knitting or craft activities; it is their space.  Many elderly people use Footprints for their daily hot meal and for the companionship that they find there.  Indeed, during last Winter it was the designated ‘warm hub’ for Sawston.  The local care homes frequently bring groups of residents appreciative of its wheelchair-friendly facilities.

The generous donation by the 2024 Fun Run will enable the much needed replacement of a 20 year old double freezer unit.

Pippins Preschool

Pippins Preschool

Pippins Preschool are delighted to have been selected as a beneficiary of the 2024 Sawston Fun Run event.

We are proud of our long association with the Fun Run, and have supported the annual flagship event in a variety of ways over the years. As families who are new to Pippins are also often new to Sawston, we explain that the Fun Run is a village institution and how the event affects the village that day; we make sure families feel welcome to join in. We often have a stall on the day – and, of course, team Pippins always run and walk the event!

Pippins Preschool

Pippins Preschool have been running for over 20 years; first in Pampisford, now in Sawston next to Icknield Primary School. Many of our staff have decades of experience in schools and Early Years settings. We accept children from age 2 years 6 months until they start primary school. We provide children with a well-rounded, nurturing preschool experience, supporting their learning and development. We want every child to feel secure, cared for, and happy. There’s a reason we’ve been called a “hidden treasure in Sawston” by our former parents!

This year, the money received will be used to buy two gazebos, for use in our front and back gardens during the summer months – they should be especially useful during future heatwaves. We’ll be asking our families to request that 50% of their sponsorship money be donated to Pippins – and, of course, we’d be really grateful if you could choose us too! Any of the 2024 beneficiary organisations would no doubt appreciate your donation: the Sawston Fun Run and Walk is such a big part of what makes our village special.

How Can You Help?

The Fun Run would not be able to exist without the generous support provided by many local businesses. You can help us in many ways, whether it’s by providing personnel and equipment on the day, having a stall at the event, or by advertising the Sawston Fun Run on your own website and social media platforms.

We have a range of advertising and sponsorship opportunities costing up to £500. Many of these packages give you access to the extensive online and paper based marketing materials we use to promote the Fun Run to the population of Sawston and the surrounding areas.

Our marketing partner, Red Graphic coordinates these packages and ensures that your brand will receive considerable exposure in return for your kind support.

If you would like to get involved this year, please contact:

Lorraine on 01223 837799 / [email protected]
Hugh on 07484 827441 / [email protected]

Further information:

Media enquiries: Murad Azam ([email protected])
Event enquiries: Gerry Holloway ([email protected])

PLEASE SUPPORT SAWSTON’S FLAGSHIP EVENT by DONATING NOW and thereby adding to the £520,852 the event has already generated over the years.The Cambridge Sawston Rotary Trust
Charity Number: 1051512


Rotary is one of the world’s largest and most successful global membership and humanitarian service organisations, with 1.4 million members in over 200 countries. The Rotary Club of Cambridge Sawston has close affiliation with the Sawston Fun run, and uses its time, talents, professional skills and energy to improve the lives of people in our local community.

As a member of The Rotary Club of Cambridge Sawston, you can enjoy the benefits of business networking, personal development, meeting new friends, hearing inspiring speakers, having a great deal of fun and experiencing that special sense of fulfilment that comes from achieving something really worthwhile.