A runner is taking on the London Marathon dressed as a van, to raise money The Felix Project, which was set up in memory of his brother.
Dan Byam Shaw, whose brother was Felix Byam Shaw, is raising money for the charity, which rescues good to eat surplus food from across the sector, that cannot be sold and would otherwise go to waste and redistributes it to people in need.
Officially registered with Guinness World Records, Dan will attempt to break the record for ‘fastest marathon dressed as a road vehicle’ in a homemade costume based on the charity’s distinctive green vans – a familiar sight across London streets as they deliver surplus food to charities, schools and community organisations feeding people in need.
The Felix Project was established in 2016 following the death of Felix, who died of meningitis in 2014 at the age of 14. Over the past ten years, the charity has grown to become one of London’s best-known charities and has recently merged with FareShare UK, becoming the largest redistributor of surplus food across the UK.
The new charity now manages seven depots across London, Suffolk, Merseyside and Hampshire and continues to work with 16 network partners to distribute food to more than 8,000 organisations across the UK.
Speaking ahead of the marathon, Dan said: “Whenever I drive one of our big green vans, I love hearing the joy and positivity that greets us at the charities we deliver to. The logo we use on the side of the vans is based on my brother’s signature in a Mother’s Day card to our Mum. Running the marathon in a Felix van feels like a fitting way to honour him and everything the charity has achieved in his name over the past ten years.”
Dan’s record attempt comes at a time of increasing demand for food support across UK. Between them, The Felix Project and FareShare delivered almost 150 million meals last year, but despite this a new report by The Food Foundation suggests that over six million adults and two million children are still living in food insecurity.
Charlotte Hill, CEO of the newly merged charity, said: “Felix’s green vans have become a symbol of hope across London. Dan’s challenge captures the spirit of what we do perfectly — turning something practical into something powerful that helps hundreds of thousands of people every day.”
Dan’s fundraiser has reached 75% of its target, raising over £15,000 so far. Supporters are encouraged to follow Dan’s progress on race day and contribute to Felix’s ongoing work by sponsoring Dan’s record attempt or by volunteering at one of the charity’s sites across the UK.
