2026 Presentation

On Wednesday, 19^th August in The  Mayoral Suite, in the Civic Centre, Wolverhampton, the Best Foot Forward 2026  Presentation took place.

• Best Foot Forward is a unique fund-raising concept, devised and organised by the Rotary Club of the City of Wolverhampton and was staged at Aldersley Stadium on Saturday 27^th June.
• The aim was for members of the public to release a £15,000 “Charity Pot” by completing laps of the Stadium track, at any time of their choosing between 8 am and 8 pm.
• In order to release the whole Pot, the target was to complete 20,000 laps of the Stadium, breaking the event record set in 2025.
• The Charity Pot was provided by 28 Patrons – companies and organisations, who each donated from £300 upwards.
• Scorching temperatures in the week leading to the event took a toll on both the number of participants and the laps covered
• On the day 634 runners covered 16,444 laps, with 19 runners qualifying for the Centurion Club, having covered 100 laps of the Stadium.  
• These included Jamie Bird, who exceeded 200 laps for the second consecutive year.
• This year’s Charities were Wolverhampton Coronary Aftercare Support Group, Sponsored Breaks and the Club’s own Charitable Trust.

•   Cheques for £4,100 to be presented by Mayor to:               

• This year’s event included, for the first time, a funding opportunity provided by the James Beattie Charitable Trust, to enable charities and other groups to enter teams and earn Bonus payments. Nine teams boosted their funds by over £11,500 by taking part in the new Bonus Scheme.
• In addition to the Charity Pot and the Bonus Scheme, other charities staged their own sponsored walks within Best Foot Forward and raised over £12,000.
• The total known to be raised as a result of Best Foot Forward 2026, is £37,327 and the total sum distributed to city charities as a result of the establishment of Best Foot Forward in 2013, has now topped £271,000.