Team Sunshine London Marathon 2023 runners raise a massive £156k to help grant more magical wishes for seriously ill children
Rays of Sunshine is delighted to reveal that its team of London Marathon 2023 runners have raised over £156,000 to help grant more magical wishes for seriously ill children across the UK. 
The TCS London Marathon 2023 took place on Sunday 23rd April, with 53 amazing runners taking part for Team Sunshine.
On the day, the rainy weather did nothing to dampen the spirits of our runners and supporters.
Rays of Sunshine had two cheer points along the famous London route, at Mile 13 and Mile 25 and our signature yellow T-shirts, banners, flags and clappers certainly helped to brighten up the grey day.
After completing the 26.2 mile course, runners were treated to a luxury post-race reception at the prestigious Royal Automobile Club. There, Rays of Sunshine offered an exclusive goodie bag filled with treats, alongside a delicious meal, drinks and – most importantly of all – massages. Our mascot Sunny even made an appearance to say thank you.
One of our amazing runners, Alice, ran the marathon to mark 10 years since being diagnosed with scoliosis. She had her wish granted by Rays of Sunshine in 2013 to attend the Jingle Bell Ball with her friends. After spending so much time in hospital, Alice said her wish “gave a little bit of sunshine to what was honestly quite a dark time in my life”.
Alice, like the rest of our team, showed her determined to help grant magical wishes for more children across the UK by taking on the 26.2 miles. Now Alice is calling on others to join Rays of Sunshine for London Marathon 2024.
Alice said: “I always knew that if I were to fundraise for anyone, it was going to be Rays of Sunshine. To anyone thinking of running the marathon for Rays of Sunshine next year, my advice is just to take the chance and sign up. It has been such a rewarding and challenging experience.”
Davinia Batley, Director of Fundraising & Communications at Rays of Sunshine, said: “I want to give a huge thank you to all our runners for taking on this epic challenge and raising a fantastic amount of money. All the training and the many miles completed will mean that we can grant more magical wishes for children when they need it the most across the UK.
“We hope this news will inspire others to do something amazing in 2024 and join our wonderful team – we are with our amazing runners every step of the way!”
Are you feeling inspired? For a guaranteed spot in next year’s London Marathon, sign up to be a part of Team Sunshine, and raise money to help us grant more wishes to seriously ill children in the UK. Find out more information here.
