Meet the GiantsThe best marketing and branding ideas are organic. We noticed at the finish celebration and on the Whats App Group you are now calling yourselves Half and Full Giants. We love this, so are going to use these terms going forward.You are all GIANTS now!To view the start and finish picture gallery, please click on the Meet the Giants page on our website including footage of the Giant marriage proposal!On the website you might also notice a few unexpected new events pop up due to demand.
16th August. Giant Walk for North West Football, bringing together rival supporters of local clubs to support grass-roots sport in the community along the classic Giant Walk course bringing rivals together for one day.
30 and 31st October. Giant Tricks and Treats Walk – an evening in the forest led by the Giant Walk team in aid of RSPCA. This is a dog friendly event, and young hoomans are encouraged to dress up for the evening.
17 December. Giant Winter Walk. This one is special. We have been asked to co-ordinate a 5k, 10k and 42k walk for Manchester’s homelessness charities in the run up to Christmas. It is suitable for everyone from families, corporates or endurance walkers. If you are put off by the weather, think of those that are homeless in December and dig deep. In conjunction with the GM Mayor’s Charity and the Manchester Homeless Partnership, we aim to light up the city on this unique event.
9th May 2027. The classic Giant Walk is back with the new 50k Ultra distance
Feedback and SupportFollowing feedback, we wanted to assure you we listen and are looking at more clear bus timings, more WC’s in the morning, an Ultra Giant Distance (50k) and some new style medals.Please email info@giantwalk.org any feedback. Please no blister or toenail pics!The Whats App group is yours now for photo sharing and good spirited messages, but will still be moderated.Giant Walk is a non-profit company. It will stay that way so you can maximise your impact. That means we currently lose money on events to be honest, and this is because of our high attention to welfare. Those Ouch Pouches are not just for fun but keep you all in one piece. What you can’t see is the amount of medical kit we carry, and the training in the background, and the digital trackers inside each pouch being monitored. We do all of this one the move.You might have noticed different mentors who we have been training, and the team is growing to support new and larger events. Jonny, Steph and Chris have not completed outdoor and paediatric first aid courses which we have sponsored. We have also invested in new kit and are saving for a portable defib (the one we have is for indoor use and is heavy!) and some improved radio equipment.To support our team’s development and the safety of Giants, whether you were raising money for charity or not, please consider showing your appreciation for our mentors, and their dedication (plus carrying all the heavy group outdoor and paediatric gear) with a token of your support. We are not a charity, and are not eligable for even the smallest of grants. The light-weight defibs are now £999Think about how you can support or thank the team here.We are already overwhelmed by your messages.This equipment is also freely used on other events which we quietly support, including school trips, and safety support for other charity walks.
New Style Medals
We know our medals were a bit cheesy, but well earned! The idea was to use an eco- bamboo medal, but we have to order weeks ahead so didn’t know how many to order. We kept the budget in line with costs, but we agree the quality was not good enough. We even discussed not using them – but we felt you deserved a medal – even if it wasn’t the quality you all deserved! We hoped you would forgive us this- and almost all of you did. We own this misjudgement, and have been thinking of what we can do to make memories, but without breaking the bank or the environment!
Going forward, we have designed some gorgeous collectable enamel buttons instead, which you can pin to your rucksacks or elsewhere. They come in all colours and three sizes (Half-giant, Full giant, and Ultra-giant). Please ask us for one when we next see you. Walkers from 2024-26 can claim a button as long as you can help us distribute these efficiently to teams/charities.
Groups/charities please message us to receive yours in the mail unless you are close to Altrincham.
Hopefully a few of you will be showing off more than one next May.
Giant Walk 2027, New Ultra Marathon and Earlybirds
Giants are already asking about 2027, and because you know of our attention to welfare, we will be limiting numbers. Therefore, to bag your place, the sooner you book, the better. Use the discount code “giantfriend” to unlock a returner % discount. These are limited.
We know some of you are Speedy Giants, so we are introducing a new Ultra Giant Walk (50k), adding an 8km extension to the route, which will hopefully mean we can all finish closer together.
Nominate a new charity for a free place in 2027
So far The Giants have raised an astonishing £103,000 in 2 years for Charities. We want to meet more charities and see more Giants grow. Please take a moment to go on our Facebook page and tag a Charity you think would benefit next May. If they are new to us, they can have a FREE PLACE!
Corporate Challenge and Team Days
Unsurprisingly, companies are enquiring about the Giant Walk for private event days. There are three tier options to become a Giant Company: Basic, Catered, and Team Building. If you are part of an organisation who would benefit from a Friday out of the office supporting a cause and building team relationships, get in touch.
Volunteer
So, there is a lot going on. If you want to support the crew, or even join it one day in any role, please get in touch by email. We could not do what we do without a fantastic team of volunteers, and as we grow we will need more support to enable us to create new Giants and raise even more money for charities and good causes.Best wishes,Marc and the team!
