Calcutta Run 2020 moves online but maintains its impact
Covid-19 forced the Calcutta Run to go online, but practitioners made the most of the challenge The Calcutta Run, organised by the Law Society of Ireland, is usually a central point in an Irish legal calendar. It began in 1999 as a way of bringing the legal profession together to create an annual fundraising event to support homeless children in Ireland and in Calcutta and has raised €4.3million over the last 22 years. This year, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the run moved online and instead of taking place on a singular day, took place from Friday 30th October until Sunday 8th November. Participants ran in their own 5kms and uploaded photos and raised money for the Peter McVerry trust and the Hope Foundation. “Although it wasn’t the Calcutta Run we’d come to expect in the legal profession, it was great to still be able to go through with it,” says Lisa McKenna, principal solicitor of McKenna and Co Solicitors. “Here at McKenna and Co, we raised €500 with a bake sale and with individual sponsored runs.” Despite the initial worry that it wouldn’t go ahead, the virtual Calcutta run raised €200,000 and was a great opportunity to raise awareness for homelessness in Ireland and in Calcutta.
