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Comic Relief is proud to announce Rae Saleem as the winner of this year's Lenny Award in recognition of his outstanding dedication and commitment to fundraising for Red Nose Day
Following a life changing accident and numerous fundraising activities, Rae has raised in excess of £10,000 for Red Nose Day
The award celebrates individuals who go the extra mile and lead the charge with endless enthusiasm
Money raised this Red Nose Day could help to put food on plates and roofs over heads, keep little ones safe and help support families affected by conflict and climate change
To get involved in Red Nose Day this year, visit www.comicrelief.com/rednoseday
Tuesday 19 March 2024: Comic Relief is proud to announce Rae Saleem as the winner of the inaugural Lenny Award in recognition of his outstanding dedication and commitment to fundraising for Red Nose Day. The award, named in honour of Sir Lenny Henry, celebrates individuals who go the extra mile and lead the fundraising charge with endless enthusiasm. Despite facing significant challenges, Rae has demonstrated unwavering dedication to give back to his community and support those in need.
Rae Saleem's journey is nothing short of remarkable. Six years ago, he faced a life-altering accident that left him paralysed from the neck down, along with brain damage. However, Rae defied the odds, embarking on a journey of recovery and overcoming not only physical challenges but also financial hardship and mental health struggles.
Rae commented: “The work Comic Relief does with mental health and poverty is big for me because I struggled with both after my accident. Wondering what type of father I would be with my life confined to a bed. We were also on the verge of being evicted, and it really opened my eyes in terms of how quickly life can change."
These personal challenges, however, did not deter Rae to give back to others facing similar struggles and inspire countless others through his remarkable fundraising initiatives. From gruelling physical endurance challenges to community-wide events, Rae has continuously gone above and beyond to raise vital funds for those in need. Last year, he raised £3,700 with the London Monopoly Run which saw him gather the community and run to every London location featured in the popular board game. In 2022 he organised his first multi-disciplined 4-hour group fitness event, then rowed, ran, cycled and cross-trained 82 miles the following day encouraging the community to join him.
The momentous challenges don’t stop there. This year, Rae climbed into the saddle at his local gym to start an epic community 12-hour Spin-a-thon with over 60 participants to raise funds for this year’s Red Nose Day. He surpassed his initial £2,500 target, raising over £4,000 which brings his total raised for Comic Relief over the years to over £11,000!
Commenting on Red Nose Day, Rae said: “What I really want is to bring the community together and give others the belief that they can achieve so much more. Red Nose Day really does bring people together, it’s lots of fun and works for so many great causes that I have personally benefitted from at home, and abroad. I am now so grateful and honoured to be in a position where I can give back in some small way."
He added: “My attitude has changed. For me this is a second chance and I’m grabbing it with both hands. I love Comic Relief, I always watched it as a child on TV but now I can watch knowing that I’ve made a contribution which makes me immensely proud."
Sir Lenny Henry commented: “It is my great honour to introduce the winner of the first-ever Lenny Award, Rae Saleem. Comic Relief are lucky to have Rae fundraising for them. I’d like to thank him for everything he's done."
Samir Patel, CEO at Comic Relief said: “Rae is an inspiration. There are a number of less challenging fundraising activities Rae could have done to help raise money for Red Nose Day. His journey is awe inspiring, he represents the spirit of Comic Relief, his boldness, creativity and determination make him a very worthy winner of our first ever Lenny Award”.
Money raised for Red Nose Day could help to put food on plates and roofs over heads, keep little ones safe and help support families affected by conflict and climate change.
The Lenny Award celebrates those incredible people who rally the troops, go the extra mile, and lead with enthusiasm and community-spirit. The winner was chosen based on his commitment to going above and beyond for Comic Relief, rather than the total amount raised.
Viewers can watch highlights from the Red Nose Day night of TV on BBC iPlayer.
ENDS
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Emily McKay
020 7820 2500
e.mckay@comicrelief.com
www.comicrelief.com/media-centre
Out of hours enquiries: 07984 510 473
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Red Nose Day
Red Nose Day is back on Friday 15 March 2024!
It’s that time of year when incredible cake-bakers, joke-makers, telly-watchers, t shirt-wearers, Red Nose-buyers and laugh-til-you-cryers, do something to fight poverty through humour and fun, for communities here in the UK and around the world.
We know that when people come together, great things can happen. So, this March, Comic Relief is uniting the nation to Do Something Funny for Money. The money raised could help put food on plates and roofs over heads, keep little ones safe and help support families affected by conflict and climate change. Having a laugh can make a serious difference.
There are lots of ways to take part in Red Nose Day. To find out more, visit www.comicrelief.com/rednoseday or follow @comicrelief on social media.
Red Nose Day is an initiative of Comic Relief.
About Comic Relief
Comic Relief is a UK charity that uses the power of entertainment and popular culture to work towards a vision of a just world free from poverty. We raise money to support organisations that are closest to the communities who can make change happen. We support work that will tackle the impact of poverty, injustice, conflict, and climate change in the UK and around the world.
Since launching in 1985, we have raised over £1.5 billion thanks to the huge generosity and kindness of the public and our partners. For more information on our work, visit www.comicrelief.com or follow @comicrelief on X (opens in new window)(formerly Twitter), Facebook(opens in new window), Instagram(opens in new window), LinkedIn (opens in new window)and TikTok (opens in new window)for the latest content and news.
Comic Relief is the operating name of Charity Projects, registered charity in England & Wales (326568) and Scotland (SC039730).
