The longest-running sponsored charity event in the North West be celebrating a special milestone in March.
The Bogle Stroll originated after a group of University of Manchester professors attempted to walk from Lancaster to Manchester whilst inebriated, and on their travels saw the eponymous Bogle in a hallucination – or so they hoped – in 1961.
Ever since, Manchester RAG – the fundraising branch of UoM – have organised a 55 mile walk around Greater Manchester, and they are hoping to celebrate their 55th anniversary by making the even bigger than ever.
And, speaking to MM, Manchester RAG chair Megan Robertson revealed that this year the event would be called Beat the Bogle, with the monster behind the myth maybe making a return on March 5.
“We’re hoping to bring back the Bogle – but it’s pretty hard to find a scary looking monster!” she said.
“It was a much bigger thing back in the day, and we’d love to get it back like it was then, and to have the history of it better documented.
“It’s the longest running charity event in the North West, so it’s a pretty big thing.”
It’s a big event in more ways than one, with the 55 mile ramble taking as long as 2 hours to complete.
The root will encompass the entirety of the county, from Stockport to Salford, and is not for the fainthearted, with less than 50% expected to complete the challenge.
However daunting that sounds, it is all in the name of charity, with RAG choosing to raise money for homeless charity The Booth’s Centre this year.
Each participant commits to raising £75 – with a £15 retainer – meaning that the uni fundraisers are hoping to donate at least £30,000 to the Centre, whose work in Manchester has been nationally recognised and praised.
“When we first started looking at organising this it was the time of the Arc and other homelessness issues in Manchester,” Megan said.
“So we thought that a homeless charity would be a nice thing to target, and in our opinion The Booth’s Centre do amazing work.
“It’s always very difficult to pick a charity because they all do amazing things but you’ve got to make the choice somehow, and The Booth Centre are a really great cause for us to raise money for.”
The Booth Centre will be holding a speech at the University on February 9 to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless in Manchester, something which has been the focus of intense scrutiny over the last couple of years.
And Amy Hinks, Development Manager at the charity, told MM that she was ‘delighted’ that the Stroll had chosen them as their charity partner.
“Unfortunately more and more people are finding themselves vulnerable and forced to sleep rough on the streets,” she said.
“By taking part in the walking challenge, you’re doing something positive that can really make a difference to people’s lives.
“I took part last year and it’s a really fun event to be part of, and a great way to explore our city! I would encourage anyone thinking about it to sign up today.”
Image courtesy of Manchester RAG, via Youtube, with thanks
