Licensing community is being encouraged to notch up the miles throughout April to raise money in memory of late industry legend.
Industry charity The Light Fund has launched a new initiative in memory of late industry legend, Kelvyn Gardner – encouraging everyone to come together and cover 10,000km throughout April.
Kelvyn – who was a long-standing trustee for The Light Fund – passed away suddenly in January. He was a firm believer in getting 10,000 steps a day which is where the idea for the challenge in his memory was born.
As COVID-19 restrictions begin to lift, and people are able to meet up and exercise with colleagues outdoors, the licensing community is being asked for their help to meet the target of 10,000km by the end of April, with the cumulative effort being tracked via Strava.
This can be done on your own, with friends, family, the dog, pet tortoise… the choice is yours. You can walk, run, cycle or swim – every kilometre will count.
A range of special merchandise has been created and is available from www.10000km4Kelvyn.com. Rather than asking for sponsorship in the current climate, people can instead purchase a t-shirt or hoodie to wear on their daily activity, a mug to have a well earned cuppa, hot chocolate (or alcoholic beverage if you desire) once your run is complete or a keyring for your car keys on the days you drive out a little further from home to explore a new route.
All profits from the sale of the merchandise – with tees and hoodies available for both adults and children so the whole family can get involved – will go to The Light Fund to help deserving causes in Kelvyn’s name.
For those who would prefer to simply make a donation, they can do so via a JustGiving page.
People will be encouraged to share photos of their activities on social media, with The Light Fund committee members also logging their fair share of the miles from 1 April until the end of the month.
A 10000km4kelvyn club has been created on Strava and will keep track of the overall distance covered.
Simply log in to the app – or it can be downloaded for free from the App Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices – search for ‘10000km4kelvyn’ and click to join. The app will track your distance, route and time by starting and stopping an activity within it. You can also link it to a smart watch or upload it manually. (Please note that kilometres notched up via cycling or swimming will need to be uploaded manually as a run for the distance to be tracked.)
“Kelvyn was a true legend in the IP licensing industry which he graced for many decades,” commented David Scott, treasurer of The Light Fund. “He was both a passionate advocate of licensing to those outside the industry and a massive support to all of us within it. Approachable, enthusiastic, witty and wise, Kelvyn was a treasured friend to countless numbers of people around the world and we shall all miss him dearly.”
David continued: “One of his many virtues was to serve as a long-standing trustee for The Light Fund charity and, to remember this wonderful man, The Light Fund invites you to help us raise funds for deserving causes in his name, by joining with us in together completing 10,000km for Kelvyn.”
Kelvyn’s wife, Michelle, and his children Regan and Eliot, commented: “We are very pleased to support this amazing fundraiser for Kelvyn as organised by The Light Fund. Kelvyn would have loved it! We wish everyone great success in their endeavours. We’ll see you out there in our t-shirts and hoodies!”
