Next year’s London Marathon will be a two-day event
Organisers London Marathon Events said the one-off, two-day iteration of the race would see 100,000 runners attempt the famous course on 24 and 25 April 2027.
LME said the event, which this year raised more than £90m for good causes, could raise £150m over two days in 2027.
An expanded event will help meet the “extraordinary demand for places” after 1.3 million people entered the ballot to take part.
The National Autistic Society has been named as the official charity partner for the event and will have 1,000 running places over the two days.
Additional guaranteed entries have been allocated to every London borough along the route, “enabling grassroots groups and charities to take part and benefit from the expanded event”, organisers said.
Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events, said: “The 2027 TCS London Marathon Double is our most ambitious evolution to date – a once-in-a-generation, one-time-only reimagining of what a marathon and city-wide celebration of activity can be.
“By expanding to 100,000 runners across two days, we’re opening the door for more people, more charities and more communities to take part in the world’s greatest marathon.
“We believe that more than £150m can be raised for good causes and the UK economy will have a £400m social and economic benefit.”
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NCVO reveals new chair-designate
A senior leader at an AI company is set to become the next chair of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.
Jude Sheeran, managing director for Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa at SambaNova Systems, has been selected as chair-designate of the membership charity, succeeding Priya Singh.
Singh will step down at the end of her second term, having completed six years in the role.
The appointment of Sheeran, who has been on the NCVO board since March 2024, is likely to be rubber-stamped at the NCVO’s annual general meeting, which is expected to be held in November.
He was chief operating officer at the employment charity The Shaw Trust between September 2012 and August 2016 and after that spent two and a half years at Eduserv, a social enterprise that supported the use of technology in public services and merged into its counterpart Jisc in 2019.
Since leaving Eduserv, Sheeran spent three years as principal, international education and research at Amazon Web Services, before joining the AI firm DataStax in February 2022 as managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
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Mind chief and former CAF leader recognised in King’s Birthday Honours
Sarah Hughes and Neil Heslop were both appointed CBE in this year’s list, which includes scores of figures from across the voluntary sector.
Hughes has led Mind for the past three years, having spent five years in the top job at the Centre for Mental Health.
Heslop, who retired from full-time work in April after six years at CAF, previously led the disability charity Leonard Cheshire for four years.
Other awards this year include damehoods for Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, and Crystal Oldman, former chief executive of the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing.
Voluntary sector figures to also receive CBEs include Yasmin Khan, chief executive of the anti-violence against women charity the Halo Project; Jonathan Yates, executive director of the Youth Endowment Fund; Craig Crowley, chief executive of Action Deafness; Melanie Keen, former director of the Wellcome Collection; and Rhiannon Hiles, chief executive of the Beamish Museum.
Voluntary sector figures to receive OBEs included David Bowles, head of campaigns and public affairs at the RSPCA; Celia Richardson, director of communications and fundraising at the National Trust; Alistair Halliday, chief executive of the Forces Employment Charity; Hilda Hayo, chief executive of Dementia UK; and Sarah Hamilton-Fairley, chief executive of the UK Sepsis Trust.
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