The Essex Coastal Challenge

About the Essex Coastal Challenge

Last year the Essex Wildlife Trust launched the inaugural Essex Coastal Challenge – highlighting the beautiful 350 miles that make up our coastline, and the abundance of wildlife that calls it home.  It was such a success, that we’re back for 2021.

The challenge runs throughout August and you can choose to take part as an individual, a family or even grab your friends and make it a team event. When you sign up, choose from a menu of running and cycling challenges – from 5k through to 350 miles – or you can choose to design your own challenge.

If a fitness challenge isn’t your thing or you fancy trying something new and want to design your own challenge, we can provide some ideas to get you started… how about recording 350 plant and animal species in your area throughout August? Or try to spend 3.5hrs each weekend switching off from technology and getting a dose of nature. Our ideas are all based on the number 350 to celebrate our 350-mile coastline – there’s so many possibilities!

The best bit is that you don’t have to be near the coast to take part – you can even do the challenge from home.

Why sign up?

Here’s their top three reasons…

• You will receive your very own Challenge Pack, an exclusive medal with this year’s ribbon, access to a friendly community Facebook group and so much more – with support from us throughout
• ‘Green’ Exercise – like taking part in the Essex Coastal Challenge – enhances mood and self-esteem, gets us active and helps us connect with others – all of which boosts our physical and mental health. Contact with nature and viewing natural scenes has shown to reduce stress and anxiety. A recent study by UCL showed that children also experience profound and diverse benefits through regular contact with nature
• Our climate is in crisis and right now, nature needs our help. Simply by taking part, you will be doing something wonderful. You will be helping us to protect more wildlife in our beautiful county and enabling us to inspire a lifelong love of nature

I’m in! What do I need to do?

It’s only £14.50 to enter! There’s no fundraising target, but if you raise £100 or over you can opt in for your name to be featured in our WILD magazine, reaching almost 40,000 supporters. If you raise over £350 you can opt in to have your name featured on our online ‘hall of fame’, new this year.

Simply click here to register

And please do help us spread the word. Attached is a poster with all the details, or if you are able to feature the event on your site or social media accounts at all, that would be wonderful and very much appreciated.

Last year 173 amazing people ran, cycled, paddled and walked – some even wore impressive fancy dress – and together they raised an incredible £14,435 for wildlife. So please join in the fun this August – and together we can help create a wilder Essex.