Last weekend, just under 10,000 people attended this year’s Cambridge Half Marathon 2022. 18 members of the Lucion Group participated in the event, raising £1485 for our chosen charity, Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK), 148% of our initial target. Over the past 12 months, our companies, Delta-Simons and Lucion Services have raised a total of £7983 for Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK), through multiple charity initiatives.

Alzheimer’s Research UK

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, a continuous decline in thinking, behavioural and social skills that affect a person's ability to function independently, affecting around six in every 10 people with dementia in the UK.

As reported at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® (AAIC®) 2021, the number of dementia cases is set to triple to an estimated 152 million cases globally by 2050.

Our charity partner, Alzheimer’s Research UK, was selected based on personal links to our people within the business. Our community knows we have a responsibility to foster positive social and environmental progress. An integral part of this is supporting local community events, which includes our three-year commitment to the Cambridge Half Marathon through Delta-Simons as Sustainability Partner to the Cambridge Half Marathon. 

Founded in 1992, ARUK is the UK's leading dementia research charity with 15 centres of research excellence throughout the UK, supporting hundreds of scientists, dedicated to researching causes, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and cure of dementia. They are on a mission to bring about the first life-changing dementia treatment by 2025 with a vision of a world where people are free from the fear, harm and heartbreak of dementia.

“‘Our team of Lucion Group runners, from both the Lucion Services and Delta-Simons sides of the business, again came together in Cambridge to enjoy another fantastic event.  The organisation and the public support around the course of the Cambridge Half Marathon are second to none.  It really is a fantastic day out, enjoyable enough for even the least dedicated runners (namely me!) to forget how sore the legs are and to genuinely enjoy the day. 

“We are delighted to again support ARUK, which is a fantastic charity that provided the best cheering support on the course at around the 11-mile mark, they were a real pick up at a tricky stage of the event.

As Sustainability Partner to CHM, we are really looking forward to the 2023 event already. We are already looking forward to working with OSB to engage with the CHM community to seek to make a real impact in Cambridge and beyond as we work with the wider partner organisations to seek to have a positive ESG impact around the event.”

Alex Ferguson, Managing Director, Delta-Simons

Our partnership with the TTP Cambridge Half Marathon

2022 marks the second year of our three-year commitment to the Cambridge Half Marathon as Sustainability Partner, through our company Delta-Simons, in partnership with OSB Events - the organiser and promoter of the event in Cambridge. Our partnership ensures that the event continues to evolve to include the highest possible ESG standards set out in the ESG policy and makes a positive contribution to Cambridge and the wider environment. It also gives us the opportunity to work with all of the event partners, including Cambridge University. 

OSB Events and members of the TTP Cambridge Half Marathon team are committed to taking action to ensure that the event’s impact on the wider community and environment are positive, wherever possible, and minimise any potentially negative impacts. As a specialist environmental consultant, we have, and continue to support and develop the Environment and Social Governance (ESG) Strategy for the Cambridge Half Marathon.

Our unified ESG strategy for TTP Cambridge Half Marathon ensures the event continues to evolve to include the highest possible ESG standards. The ESG Strategy outlined for 2022 and beyond, aligns with The Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

Some of the ESG initiatives OSB and Delta-Simons outlined and achieved during the 2022 event include:

• Social Impact: Installing charity clothing bins on Midsummer Common - All leftover clothing was donated to Winter Comfort and Cambridge Convoy Refugee Action Group.
• Food Waste: in order to minimise food waste generated by its events, OSB endeavours to donate perishable food waste to local Cambridge charities.  At this year’s event, all leftover food & fruit went to Winter Comfort, Jimmy's Food Drop and Linton Zoo!
• Sustainable Travel: the event focuses on local participants, with over 65% of entrants being  Cambridgeshire based; this enables OSB to promote cycling as a method of travel for attendees by providing 1,500 free and secure bicycle parking spaces. In addition, OSB partners with the County  Council and Stagecoach to provide 3,000 park and ride spaces. 
• Materials Usage: printed race booklets are no longer provided, saving over 24,000 sheets of paper annually. Disposable ‘Goodie bags’ have been replaced with reusable and recyclable Jute bags, further reducing plastic usage at the event.  This year, leftover goodie bags have been distributed to local schools.
• Water Bottles: OSB has been continuing to push for the reduction of single-use plastic water bottles,  whilst balancing safety and hygiene measures with the ongoing challenges of COVID-19. OSB partnered with Harrogate Spring to provide fully recyclable plastic bottles in a ‘closed loop’ system, as well as providing water tanks for those who want to refill  their own reusable bottles. 
• Zero Littering: whilst the vast majority of runners take great care to dispose of litter appropriately,  there are exceptions. OSB will be paying particular attention to littering, informing competitors, and providing more than adequate disposal points.  
• Surplus Medals: As part of the waste minimisation efforts, OSB has continued to donate the surplus medals from the event to local schools, simultaneously encouraging youth fitness and wellbeing initiatives such as the ‘1km/day for 21 days half marathon’. 

OSB, in collaboration with Delta-Simons, have created an ESG post-race survey, collecting data to better understand areas for improvement and forge a path of continuous ESG progress. Whilst we are still gathering information from this year’s race, we have already begun to outline our goals for 2023.

Our ESG plans for the Cambridge Half Marathon 2023

Whilst reducing negative environmental impacts is a vital aspect of Delta-Simons’ partnership with the Cambridge Half Marathon, the social value of the community event is of equal importance. Working with other partners on sustainability initiatives raises our brand profile and engages a wider range of stakeholders bringing benefits to local communities. For the 2023 Cambridge Half Marathon event, we have outlined the following ESG goals and initiatives;

• Phasing-Out Plastics: OSB plan to work with other businesses in Cambridge to find a route through which the event can feasibly transition to compostable cups rather than plastic. 
• Partner Engagement: OSB and Delta-Simons will be contacting all of the event partners to understand their ESG aspirations, seeking to align the event to the partners and to share ideas and inspiration.  
• ‘Unlock’ Cambridge: opportunities to work with local businesses are being explored to seek to use  TTP Cambridge Half Marathon as a focus which brings people to the city to spend time after the race enjoying the local facilities and supporting local businesses.  
• Youth Charities: OSB is exploring an opportunity to launch a joint initiative with a local charity focussed on supporting vulnerable young people by providing them all of the resources they need to achieve a significant goal…completing TTP Cambridge Half Marathon. More to come on this!  
• The Business Challenge: OSB and Delta-Simons aim to incorporate talks and presentations with the local community and business challenge to promote sustainability and the simple steps that can be taken to start the journey towards achieving improved ESG.  
• Supply Chain Transparency: OSB is looking to undertake further scrutiny of the supply chain and look to improve the sourcing of all materials used during the events, from energy to medals. 
• Transport Links: the development of transport links such as the rail provision from London in order to enable participants to travel to Cambridge in time for the start of the race, avoiding more carbon-intensive methods of transport. 

Join us for the TTP Cambridge Half Marathon 2023

Next year will mark the final year of our partnership with OSB events, through Delta-Simons, and support of the Cambridge Half Marathon, though we hope to extend our partnership into the future. 

Pre-registration for the Cambridge Half Marathon 2023 is now open. You can find out more about the event and book your place by clicking the link: Register for CHM 2023.

Area Director for South East and London, Larne Fuller, commented on his experience running the half marathon saying;

“I've completed two of the Cambridge Half Marathons now, so I can say with confidence that they are incredibly well run events and so much fun to be a part of! The public support and interspersed live bands really give you a lift around the course and are a welcomed distraction from the achy legs.

Supporting the charity ARUK and being the sustainability partner to the CHM is important to us. We look forward to helping both organisations make a real difference in Cambridge and beyond. See you in 2023!”

Support Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK) to make breakthroughs possible

We would like to thank everyone who has supported us with a donation this year. If you haven’t had a chance to donate, there’s still time. You can show your appreciation for our fundraisers and contribute to what has been a tremendous effort by donating at the event’s Just Giving page by clicking ‘Donate Now’: Donate Now.