Best Buddies Edinburgh is a student run charity working to enhance the lives of many people with learning disabilities. We hold a weekly social night where students and disabled adults come together to have fun and make friends. We also head out into the city once a month for a group event; bowling, cinema trips, zoo visits. This year we are increasing the size of our catchment and introducing more exciting activities to help integrate these sometimes isolated adults into the community. With your fund-raising we hope to be able to touch the lives of more disabled adults by subsidising events which help them to grow and develop their confidence levels. It would also allows us to push more funding into publicity to raise awareness of our services within the Edinburgh community so that more people can reach out to us. Thank you in advance for your support. And good luck in the run!
If you would like more information email us at bestbuddiesedinburgh@gmail.com or visit our website: http://bestbuddies.eusa.ed.ac.uk/

Students for Kids International Projects 'SKIP' is a healthcare-student led UK-based registered charity (1099804), which supports child welfare in communities throughout the developing world. SKIP Edinburgh is the only SKIP branch with an active project in Europe; we work at a government-run institution for mentally and physically disabled boys in Orhei, Moldova. The institute is home to over 200 boys with a wide range of disabilities and SKIP Edinburgh Volunteers spend time in the summer providing much needed attention and stimulation to the boys. Our interventions range from creative play and activities to basic disability and postural management and we are creating links with NGOs in Moldova to help sustain our input in Orhei. Click here for more information

1 in 100 people in the UK are living with autism. Autism Initiatives provides direct support services to people living with autism spectrum conditions. Across Scotland we offer supported living services and outreach support and social enterprises. Our aim is that everyone with autism has the opportunity to take part the things that they enjoy as well as learn and develop skills to enable them to live as independently as possible. Run this year’s Meadows Marathon for Autism Initiatives and you will be helping the 50,000 people in Scotland with autism to live full and independent lives. For more information, click here

Save the Children works in 120 countries. We save children’s lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential.
By running on our behalf you can help to save children’s lives in Scotland and abroad, through the provision of emergency aid and sustainable investment in children’s lives.
£5 can pay for ten days’ worth of life-saving food for a malnourished child
£100 can train a health worker to diagnose illnesses and treat children.
Every year 7.6 million children under five die needlessly. No child is born to die. Together we can stop this. For more information, please visit our website

Scottish Love in Action (SLA) is a charity based in Scotland that cares for and supports vulnerable and destitute children in India.
We feed, clothe, house, educate and provide medical care for 600 children. We do this by funding a Home and School in Tuni and a Hyderabad Home with education in a local school. Both projects are in the State of Andhra Pradesh, S.E. India and run by our grassroots, non-governmental organisation (NGO) partner
Our vision is to provide each child with the life skills and education to develop their potential and escape the poverty trap. Click here for more information

Help Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland beat Scotland’s biggest killers. Every minute of every day 100,000 people in Scotland struggle to breathe due to chronic chest illness. Every 45 minutes someone in Scotland will have a heart attack. Every 45 minutes someone in Scotland will have a stroke. Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland improves the quality of life for people in Scotland with chest, heart and stroke illness, through medical research, influencing public policy, advice and information and support in the community. All funds raised in Scotland stays in Scotland. Our website can be found at: www.happyfeetteam.com

'There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children’ - Nelson Mandela
UNICEF on Campus is a student initiative supporting the work of UNICEF through both fundraising activities and awareness-raising events here at the University and in the wider Edinburgh community. UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund) works to provide both emergency aid and long-term development projectsto some of the world’s most vulnerable children. As the world’s leading children’s organisation, UNICEF campaigns to uphold children’s rights, ensure their survival and promote their wellbeing. Visit www.unicef.org.uk formore.

Cancer Support Scotland are a Glasgow-based charity that provide emotional and practical support to anyone affected by cancer. We provide this support to the patient, their family and friends as well as the NHS staff involved in their care. Our services come in the form of Complementary Therapies, Counselling and community-based Support Groups. All our services are designed to complement those provided by the NHS and deliver our clients with a tailor-made, holistic care package. To access our services, please call 0800 652 4531 today.

Home Link Family Support aims to work with our volunteers to provide practical and emotional support for families with young children. We have been providing this early intervention support since 1986. Our vision is to ensure that all families will have the support they need to bring their children up in a secure and stable environment. We do this by recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers to become Befrienders to children and their families. We provide opportunities for people to become involved in caring for members of their community in South and West Edinburgh and Midlothian. In addition to our befriending service in Midlothian we provide additional support through our group work programme and our innovative Therapeutic Family Work. In 2011-12 we supported a total of 132 families including 352 children. For more information, see www.homelinkfamilysupport.org

Edinburgh Nightline provides a confidential listening, emotional support, and information service, run by students for students in the City of Edinburgh. We offer a telephone helpline and a 1-1 online messenger service. Nightline works to improve student mental health and wellbeing and is open at night (8pm-8am) when no other university welfare services are available. Any money raised at the Meadows Marathon will go towards the upkeep of our facilities to ensure the quality of our service is maintained. Please visit us at nl.eusa.ed.ac.uk for more information.

Children’s Holiday Venture (CHV) is an official University of Edinburgh society and one of the United Kingdom’s only fully student run charities. Student volunteers work with many disadvantaged children from socially deprived areas in Edinburgh. We aim to provide the children with the support, time and care they need through a range of fun and educational activities, which range from ice skating and swimming to day trips, and even summer camps. These opportunities are an outlet for fun that can be an invaluable escape from their often very difficult home lives.
www.chv.org.uk