The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust has 20 charity places available for runners who would like to run and raise funds on its behalf at the Ironbridge Half Marathon 2025.
The Telford Harriers, the organisers of the Ironbridge Half Marathon, have generously shared 20 places at the 2025 event, which takes place on Sunday 23 March, with the Trust, for runners to compete and raise money for the charity’s vital heritage conservation and education work.
The half marathon route begins at Telford Town Park and goes through the spectacular Ironbridge Gorge UNESCO World Heritage Site. It goes past several of the Trust’s museums, including Blists Hill Victorian Town, Coalport China Museum and Jackfield Tile Museum, and over the Iron Bridge itself.
As a registered charity, the Trust relies on donations to help it carry out its vital work. Each day it costs the Trust, a heritage conservation and education charity, £15,000 to run its ten museums. This includes conserving and restoring its collections and delivering its education and learning programmes. The Trust’s collection consists of 400,000 objects, and the entire collection has been Designated by Arts Council England in recognition of its National Importance. In 2023 over 26,000 children and teachers came on an education visit.
Gayle Kelly, Head of Development at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “Thank you to the Telford Harriers for allocating us these places in the Ironbridge Half Marathon. We are now looking forward to hearing from runners who would like to run on our behalf.
“It could be a great personal challenge for 2025 or an opportunity to socialise with friends or colleagues. Whatever your experience, the Harriers can provide training plans, hints and tips, for new and experienced runners.
“We hope runners will be inspired by the knowledge that the money they raise will go towards conserving the Gorge’s historic buildings and the Trust’s collections, and towards sharing the rich history of the Gorge with future generations through our education work.
“There is no doubt that the Ironbridge Gorge UNESCO World Heritage Site is a stunning backdrop for the event.”
A place in the half marathon will cost £25 and runners, who must be aged 18 or over, will be asked to raise a minimum of £100 sponsorship for the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. The Telford Harriers can provide training plans for runners to use.
To find out more or secure a place, go to the dedicated website page.