Two-day London Marathon would be a one-off, organisers say
London Marathon Events revealed last month that it was in talks with City Hall to stage the 2027 event over two days, potentially enabling more than 100,000 runners to take part.
Speaking to the media this week, Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events, said a two-day event could raise more than £130m for good causes but would be “very much one and done”.
Brasher said: “We believe that more than £130m would be raised for good causes, and that £400m of economic and social benefit would come to this country.”
But he said the two-day event would be a one-off because the race did not want to lose the “position of love” it holds.
“The idea was also overwhelmingly positively received,” he said. “But you have to bear in mind that the London Marathon has been going for 45 years and it’s got to a position of love, not only [in] the sporting calendar but the calendar of London.
“You can lose that love, and we have to be mindful of that. And that is why it is very much a one and done. But there is a need in this country to do it.”
Asked for details on how additional running spots might be made available to charities, an LME spokesperson declined to comment.
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Regulator updates conflict of interest guidance after rise in cases
The Charity Commission has issued updated guidance on how trustees should manage conflicts of interest after a sharp rise in alleged private benefit abuse cases.
The regulator said it had refreshed its guidance after the number of compliance cases involving the alleged abuse of charitable status for private benefit increased by 23 per cent in a year.
It said conflicts involving trustees and their private interests were a “recurring factor in many of these cases”, which it said represented a risk to public trust in charities.
Casework suggested that most unmanaged conflicts of interest came from a lack of awareness rather than deliberate wrongdoing, the commission said.
“Trustees, most of whom are volunteers, are often unable to identify a conflict when it arises and therefore fail to take steps to protect their charity’s assets or reputation,” the commission said.
“This is confirmed in the commission’s published research with trustees, which found that many trustees are unsure about how to recognise and deal with a conflict.”
It said the updated guidance, known as CC29, had been shortened and simplified and included common examples of situations in which a conflict of interest could arise.
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Major grantmaker sells £9.5m building to private equity firm
The City Bridge Foundation completed the sale of the vacant Finsbury House building in London last week to Eatos Group Real Estate on a 155-year lease.
The grantmaker sought planning permission for a major refurbishment of the building before selling a new long lease with funds going towards the charity’s objects, the CBF said.
The charity confirmed it would retain a ground rent from the refurbished building as part of the sale.
A spokesperson for the City Bridge Foundation said the charity took a “long‑term and responsible approach” to managing its assets and investments.
“Finsbury House’s sale aligns with our long‑term strategy, enabling us to reinvest funds directly back into the charity and into London’s communities,” they said.
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