#SIFASunday whips up a storm

More than £2,000 raised for SIFA Fireside charity.

On Sunday 11th October, individuals from Birmingham and beyond joined forces to get active and take part in #SIFASunday, raising over £2,000 for vital services at Birmingham’s leading charity for homeless and vulnerable adults.

With the cancellation of the Great Birmingham Run, residents of Oxford Road in Moseley decided the Birmingham Neighbours group would find an alternative way of raising funds for their local charity, SIFA Fireside.

Led by Birmingham Neighbour Julian Atkinson, #SIFASunday took social media by storm, from the army of supporters spreading the word, to the range of activities that took place up and down the country.

The event aimed to promote positive mental health and wellbeing and raise awareness of the important work the charity does. As Julian explains: “We set up #SIFASunday to harness the community spirit that has been growing throughout our roads and communities during the pandemic.

“We called ourselves Birmingham Neighbours to encourage people from all over the city to get involved, and to show the solidarity between both those who support and benefit from the charity’s services.

“Others were invited to pledge an activity in aid of #SIFASunday, which saw beautiful country walks, friendly golf matches, runs from two miles to twenty, on and off-road bike rides – even turbo cycling take place! We were bowled over by the response from our community and are so grateful to all those who took part.”

For anyone who wants to run their own #SIFASunday activity over the coming months to support fellow Brummies in need, it’s not too late to get involved. Send your weekend activity with a photo, story to: [email protected] or visit JustGiving to make a donation.