Information Pack
How to Join Team Sally Army for the April 2016
Virgin Money London Marathon
Thank you for requesting this pack. We would love to have you on our 2016 VMLM team.
You do not need to be a Salvationist to run for The Salvation Army – all types of people run for us, and we welcome everyone on board, regardless of faith. In the next few pages you will find the answers to these questions:
- What is the Virgin Money London Marathon like?
- Why does The Salvation Army need my support?
- What support will The Salvation Army give me?
- Tell me more about the ski holiday that will be awarded to the top Team Sally fundraiser?
- Where is the discounted accommodation that you offer?
- How do I get a place?
- How much does it cost to take part?
- How much sponsorship do I need to raise?
- When do I find out if I have been successful in obtaining a place?
- What do I do next?
- What is the Virgin Money London Marathon like?
The London Marathon is the UK's landmark race, and the world’s most famous marathon. Each year 35,000 runners take part and thousands of cheering spectators line the iconic course through central London from Blackheath to The Mall.
Follow or copy and paste this link into your web browser to view the course:
"The atmosphere on the day was absolutely incredible. There were over 700,000 people cheering, and when it got really tough they were vital in helping me to keep going. I will remember it for the rest of my life! The Salvation Army were really supportive of me throughout the process and I'm really glad I did it!" Sam, 2013 London Marathon runner
- Why does The Salvation Army need my support?
Since 1865, the Salvation Army has been working with the some of the most marginalised people in society, without judgement or condemnation.
All sponsorship monies raised from Team Sally Army 2016 runners will support our work with victims of Human Trafficking.
Human trafficking or ‘modern slavery’ is the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them. They can be forced to work in the sex trade, domestic service, forced labour, and criminal activity, or have their organs removed to be sold. Often, they are trafficked to a foreign country where they cannot speak the language, have their travel and identity documents removed, and are told that if they try to attempt an escape, they or their families will be harmed.
The Salvation Army is deeply committed to fighting human trafficking and aims to help restore the freedom and dignity of those affected. Since July 2011 we have been the sole provider of the UK government’s contract to manage support services for ALL adult female and male victims of modern slavery in England and Wales.
Victims are referred to us to assess what support they need – and indeed to see if this is something that they themselves want. Through our partners we provide safehouses for them to stay in; we offer counselling, legal and translation services, and the urgent medical attention that is all too often needed. We also help them acquire vital documents such as passports, and give them the support that they need to move on from the whole experience.
Human trafficking exists here in our own, comfortable, local communities in the UK. For help in spotting the signs that someone has been trafficked, please go to:
To find out how we helped one man, Hai, move on from his ordeal, please read:
- What support will The Salvation Army give me?
Our top fundraiser will be awarded a ski holiday for two that has been kindly donated by family ski specialist Snowbizz (terms and conditions apply – please see Q4, below); the next five top fundraisers will receive high quality running trainers. In addition, we are pleased to offer:
- Heavily discounted accommodation in London for the night before and/or the night of the race (offered on a first come, first served basis)
- A post-race reception in Central London for you to rest and recover at after the marathon
- A Pasta Party before the race
- A FREE breathable Salvation Army running vest with your name on it
- A fundraising pack crammed full of ideas
- A dedicated London Marathon rep to give you fundraising support
- Support from our Cheer Squad on race day
- Tell me more about the ski holiday that will be awarded to the top Team Sally fundraiser?
This amazing prize has been very generously donated by Family Ski Specialist, Snowbizz.
The lucky winner and a friend will spend one week at Puy St Vincent, France from Sunday January 8th 2017.
Prize includes: Return flights from Gatwick, transfers, and accommodation in a one bedroom apartmentin the Sun Vallee Residence at 1600m.
For further details visit
Please note this prize does not include ski packs. If required these may be booked directly with Snowbizz.
- Where is the discounted accommodation that you offer?
Accommodation is in the form of comfortable modern flats at our training centre, William Booth College, in Denmark Hill, which is 10 minutes by train or bus to central London. This is available to our runners for the night before and/or the night of the London Marathon and can be purchased as soon as you have a place, subject to availability.
Alternatively, the people at the London Marathon have teamed up with Holiday Inn to sort out some accommodation packages. For more information, visit:
- How do I get a place?
To apply for one of our guaranteed London Marathon charity places, please complete our London Marathon 2016 application form which is attached to this pack.
We only have a limited number of Salvation Army places so we strongly recommend that you also apply through the public ballot to increase the likelihood of you getting a place.
The link will be on the home page of the London Marathon website:
- How much does it cost to take part?
If you are lucky enough to get a place in the ballot you will pay the London Marathon organisers directly for your place, which will be around £35.
If you apply for one of our guaranteed places, then once we have approved your application and offered you a place you will need to pay a non-refundable deposit of £75 to reserve it (charity places cost around £300 per place to the charity).
- How much sponsorship do I need to raise?
If you have secured a place through the London Marathon ballot there is no minimum sponsorship amount and we are very grateful that you will be running for us. We do hope though that you will raise as much as you can to support our work with victims of Human Trafficking.
If you are given a Salvation Army Charity place, we ask you to raise a minimum of £2,000. We ask you to send in:
- £500 of your sponsorship target by January 31st 2016
- £500 more by March 31st and a further
- £600 by race day.
- The remaining £400 needs to be sent to The Salvation Army THQ within one month of the event
This is easily achievable if you start early, and many of our runners find that they raise far more than they ever expected! Here are a few ideas to get you going – you can find loads more in the Fundraising Pack we will send you when you sign up:
- Sponsorship from friends, family and colleagues£300
- Car boot sale/ eBay auction£250
- Hold a Quiz Night£250
- Ask 6 business clients or suppliers for £25£150
- Karaoke Night£250
- Host a party for 30 people and ask them to pay £10 to attend £300
- Donate skills for donations (e.g. gardening, ironing, babysitting) £300
- Dress Down Day at work / lunch money donation£200
£2,000
- When do I find out if I have been successful in obtaining a place?
9a. Virgin Money London Marathon Public Ballot Place
The 2016 ballot results will be announced in late September 2015.
If you are lucky enough to secure a place, we would love to welcome you to Team Sally Army.If we have already allocated you one of our charity places, we would be grateful if you could release it back to us so that we could offer it to someone on the waiting list.
9b. Salvation Army charity place
We will allocate half of our charity places by 30th June 2015, and the remainder by Friday 30th October 2015.
10.What do I do next?
Please complete the following application form for one of our charity places, making it as detailed as you can, and send it to:
Or pop it in the post to: VMLM Application, Events Fundraising Unit, The Salvation Army, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN.
Whether you get one of our ‘Charity Places’ or your ‘Own Place’ in the ballot, we will support you all the way.
You will receive your Official Programme and registration form from the organisers of the London Marathon in early April 2016. This package will include full details about the Virgin Money London Marathon Expo, which you'll need to attend to pick up your race number. The Expo will take place during the week of the marathon from the Wednesday-Saturday.
We really hope to see you on our team!
Virgin Money London Marathon 2016
The Salvation ArmyApplication Form
Personal Details
Employer Details (if applicable)
Motivations
Marketing Sources
Fundraising
Publicity
Event Participation History
Running Vest
Accommodation
Recommend a Friend
Registration Fee
You can pay your £75 registration fee by cheque or credit/debit card. Please make the cheque payable to ‘The Salvation Army’ and attach it to your application form. Alternatively we can take card payment if we issue you with a place.
I have enclosed a cheque for £75 with this application form
I would like to pay by credit/debit card over the telephone
We will only process the payment if your application is successful or you indicated below that you would like it to be treated as a donation.
Please tick one of the following boxes to indicate your preference:
I would like The Salvation Army to process my registration fee and treat it as a donation if I do not receive a guaranteed place
I would like my cheque to be destroyed if I do not receive a guaranteed place
Fundraising Guidelines
I will:
1. Use my best endeavours to raise money for The Salvation Army, and not do anything to bring The Salvation Army into disrepute.
2. Ensure that cheques are made payable to ‘The Salvation Army’ and sent to the Fundraising Events Department at the address below.I will send at least:
- £500 of my sponsorshiptarget by January 31st 2016
- £500more by March 31st, and a further
- £600 by race day.
- I will send the remaining £400+ to The Salvation Army THQ within one month of the event.
3. Show the charity any material bearing The Salvation Army name or logo, or that discussed the work of the organisation, prior to printing and distribution.
4. Ensure that all publicity materials include the text ‘Registered Charity in England and Wales 214779, registered in Scotland SC009359’.
5. Obtain prior approval from The Salvation Army before approaching any companies, press or celebrities to support my event.
6. Not carry out house to house collections.
7. Not collect in any public place without first obtaining a collector’s licence from the appropriate local authority (usually the police or council)
8. Not collect on private property (including shops) without permission from the owner.
9. Not hold a raffle, because of The Salvation Army’s stance on gambling.
10. Not resell or offer for auction any Salvation Army merchandise without The Salvation Army’s permission. I shall also pass 100% of the proceeds from any permitted activity of this type solely to The Salvation Army.
11. Make sure my event, and any third parties involved are fully insured and do not take any unnecessary personal risks.
12. Acknowledge that The Salvation Army cannot take responsibility for any losses made through the event or liability arising from my event.
13. Return any unused fundraising materials that I will not require in the future to The Salvation Army including collection tins, in a timely manner.
14. Inform The Salvation Army at the earliest opportunity if I have had to withdraw from or cancel my event due to injury or other circumstance.
The Salvation Army reserves the right, in exceptional circumstances, to withdraw the offer of one of its charity places.
Please return this form and yourregistration fee to:
VMLM Application, Events Fundraising Unit, The Salvation Army, 101 Newington Causeway, LondonSE1 6BNor email to:
Thank you for your application