by Larry Eder
The Brighton Marathon was at a place where, without strong support from an experienced organization and financial support as well, the marathon would have gone away. Well done, London Marathon Events!
LONDON MARATHON EVENTS TAKES OVER THE BRIGHTON MARATHON
· Brighton Marathon saved and will go ahead on Sunday, 2 April 2023
· All places purchased by runners and charities for 2023 will be honoured by LME
London Marathon Events (LME), the world-leading mass participation events company, will take over the Brighton Marathon, which is one of the UK’s largest marathons and has raised large sums for charities.
LME has stepped in to save the event after Grounded Events Company Limited, the former owners and operators of the Brighton Marathon, went into administration.
Phil Harris and Chris Stevens from specialist business advisory firm FRP were appointed as Joint Administrators to Grounded Events Company Limited on Friday, 16 December. They immediately completed the sale of the business and assets to LME.
Following discussions between LME, FRP and Brighton and Hove City Council, the agreement has now been reached by the Council and LME for a licence to operate the event for the next five years (2023 – 2027) with the option to break the licence in 2025 if specified metrics are not met.
Hugh Brasher, Event Director of London Marathon Events, said: “We are delighted that London Marathon Events has reached an agreement with Brighton and Hove City Council and the Joint Administrators of Grounded Events Company Limited, which means the Brighton Marathon will be saved.
“We want to reassure all runners and charities that LME will honour all the places purchased by individuals and charities and allow them to be used in the 2023 Brighton Marathon and enable them to take part on Sunday, 2 April.
“We will reopen entries for the 2023 Brighton Marathon this week so there will be another opportunity for people to take part next April. In due course, there will be further announcements about the other events scheduled for the Brighton Marathon Weekend.
“The Brighton Marathon is a fantastic event in a stunning setting. We look forward to working with Brighton and Hove City Council and the community to grow the event over the coming years.”
Co-chair of the council’s Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee, councillor Martin Osborne, said: “The Brighton Marathon has a national and international reputation, and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to help recover this event.
“I’d like to thank the officers who have worked diligently and quickly to find a solution that means that participants who have already paid for their place can still take part and the many charities involved can continue to benefit.
“London Marathon Events has experience of running one of the world’s biggest marathons, and we look forward to having them bring their expertise to our city.”
Phil Harris, Director at FRP and Joint Administrator of Grounded Events Company Limited, said: “The Brighton Marathon Weekend is a major fixture in the city’s sporting, economic and cultural calendar. This deal provides a future for the Brighton Marathon with a globally recognised mass participation events organiser. We wish the team all the best in the future.”
With LME taking over the Brighton Marathon Weekend, organisations and projects that inspire activity in Brighton and Hove may benefit from funding from The London Marathon Charitable Trust (The Trust), the parent charity of LME. Further details will be announced by The Trust in the New Year. Read about the work of The Trust here.
ENDS
About London Marathon Events
London Marathon Events (LME) organises a series of mass participation events, inspiring more than 200,000 participants every year. Its world-class events include the world’s biggest marathon and the world’s greatest cycling festival. The mass participation events are:
Vitality Westminster Mile
Vitality London 10,000
RideLondon
Standard Chartered Great City Race
The Big Half, New Balance Big Relay and The Big Mile
Swim Serpentine
TCS London Marathon and TCS Mini London Marathon
Every year, London Marathon Events gifts its trading surplus to The London Marathon Charitable Trust. Both organisations share a vision of Inspiring Activity and a mission to inspire and enable people to become and remain physically active across all ages, demographics and abilities. Since 1981, The Trust has made grants totalling over £95 million to more than 1,500 projects in London and across the UK that help people to become and remain active.
For further information, please contact media@londonmarathonevents.co.uk.
