Thousands of people from Birmingham have helped to raise a staggering £180,000 for Birmingham Women’s And Children’s Hospitals Charity after answering the rallying cry of training apparel brand Gymshark, asking them to get their ‘sweat on’ as part of its #NHSSweatySelfie Challenge.

Frontline colleagues at Birmingham Women’s Hospital and Birmingham Children’s Hospital are currently walking an average of 20,000 steps each day as they carry out their roles treating and protecting the patients. To show their appreciation and support for this tireless work, Gymshark asked the great public to get involved and do their bit…and that they did!

The #NHSSweatySelfie challenge saw thousands run, cycle, dance, weight lift, and much more, and then upload their ‘sweaty selfie’ to social media to show off their hard work. For every selfie uploaded, the generous team at Gymshark donated £5 to the charity, and the response was incredible.

The challenge quickly went viral and was even trending on social media. Over the course of the two week period, almost 36,000 selfies were uploaded – some from as far away as Australia and the USA – which all helped to reach the £180,000 total. The campaign even caught the attention of former model and amateur athlete Nell McAndrew and Heart FM’s Ed James, who both did their part in snapping their ‘sweaty selfie’ to add to the pot.

Louise McCathie, Director of Fundraising at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospitals Charity, said: “Words cannot express just how grateful we are to our friends at Gymshark for their generosity and for undertaking this innovative campaign to ensure we can continue to support the critical work of our NHS colleagues now, and in the future. The response to the #NHSSweatySelfie Challenge has been completely overwhelming and its success is more than we could have ever imagined.

“As well as helping to raise vital funds for our charity, it’s been really great to see how the campaign has given people the drive to get up and exercise. We’ve heard from many people, including our own staff, just how great the challenge has been for both their physical and mental health.” 

“Thank you to everyone who made this campaign so special,” Says Gymshark Founder Ben Francis, “As expected, everyone well and truly backed this campaign, and backed our incredible NHS. The funds you’ve raised will be invaluable for Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospitals Charity, and help greatly as we continue to battle this pandemic.”

You can still donate to the #NHSSweatySelfie campaign here, via JustGiving.