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What began as a light hearted family challenge has grown into a huge fundraising effort in London’s Hyde Park all to raise vital funds for Children’s Hospice South West.

PJ Sleep Joggers (PJSJ) is a London‑based group. Riley, one of the fundraisers, explains how the idea came about almost by accident: 
“PJSJ actually started as a small challenge between family members, when one of us spontaneously challenged another to wake up at 6am and go for a run around a local park.”

Soon that early morning challenge quickly became a weekly event and turned into something more social and creative.
“Over time, our runs evolved into longer outings where we would walk increasingly further without using public transport, often ending up in parks where we filmed short videos and posted them online.”

With a growing online presence came the beginnings of a new look for the group and it soon became part of what made PJSJ stand out.
“As the group developed, we also created a visual identity, originally just pyjamas and coloured hats, which later expanded into matching shirts after we designed a logo. The idea to turn it into a fundraiser came after a member of staff at McDonald’s asked about our outfits. After explaining what we were doing, she suggested we could use it for something like Red Nose Day. When we saw the theme ‘Take yourself funny for money,’ it felt like a perfect fit for what we were already doing.”

With a cause in mind, PJSJ planned a run around Hyde Park and set up a JustGiving page in support of Children’s Hospice South West. Choosing a charity outside their immediate area was a deliberate decision.

Although we’re not based in the South West, we wanted to support a charity that isn’t always the most obvious choice but still does incredibly important work. CHSW stood out to us because of the impact they have on children and families, and we felt it was a cause that deserved more attention

Support quickly followed with £230 raised before they had even started the run, all donations from friends and family who rallied behind the idea.

“During the run itself, we built attention and directed it towards the cause through QR codes linking to our donation page to further support up to the very end”

Their Hyde Park run became a moving, noisy spectacle. Splitting into two teams allowed them to draw attention while keeping the fundraiser flowing smoothly.
“Two of us ran ahead around Hyde Park playing music and chanting ‘PJSJ,’ while the other two followed behind engaging with the public and explaining PJSJ’s purpose at a slower pace. The entire run was filmed, which helped demonstrate our commitment and allowed supporters to follow along.”

By the end of the day, their huge effort paid off:
“In total, we raised £270, which we were really proud of. It was a great feeling to turn something that started as a fun idea into something that could make a real difference.”
 

A spokesperson from Children’s Hospice South West said:

We’re incredibly grateful to everyone at PJ Sleep Joggers for turning a simple early‑morning run into such a fun fundraiser. Their creativity, energy and generosity has inspired donations which will help us continue to provide vital care and support for babies, children and young people with life‑limiting conditions and their families across the South West. Thank you to everyone who took part, donated, or cheered them on along the way

To support PJ Sleep Joggers and help raise funds for Children’s Hospice South West, donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/page/pjsj