Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

FORGET SILVERSTONE… GET ON YOUR TRIKE FOR EBAY SPONSORED CHARITY EVENT!

On Sunday 31st August in London, 30 teams of social entrepreneurs will battle it out to be crowned the winner of the Shoreditch Grand Prix, all in the name of charity and other great causes.

Sponsored by eBay, Everyclick, Last.fm and Green Tomato to name a few, the Shoreditch Grand Prix will be the hottest charity sports event in London this year.

The top 30 teams that raise the most sponsorship money by August 14th will be invited to ‘blast’ around the streets of Shoreditch on kiddie’s fun tricycles and tractors in a bid to be crowned the Shoreditch Grand Prix Champion 2008, and raise as much money as they can for charity and social enterprises whilst they’re at it.

Entrants can sign up at www.ShoreditchGrandPrix.com, where they'll find a full list of rules, and entry forms for their team, which will comprise of no more than three speedsters. The event is being presented and supported by Thin Martian, a creative agency, UnLtd a charity that supports social entrepreneurs and UnLtdWorld, a social network.

The event will also include music courtesy of Last.fm and additionally, 5 trikes will be designed by artists and auctioned on a headline charity auction on eBay.

5 laps of Shoreditch on fun-sized tricycles are all that stands between this point and greatness, according to a spokesperson for Shoreditch Grand Prix:

“30 teams of heroes will be blasting around the streets of Shoreditch raising money for charities, worthy causes and social entrepreneur projects that benefit the community… it's a pedal powered race of epic proportions, mixing the glamour of Monaco, the endurance of Le Mans… and the idiocy of adults attempting a street race on children's toy tricycles.”

They continued,

“Race for good causes. Race for glory. Race for the hell of it. Just make sure you’re there on the day for the hottest sporting event in London’s calendar.”

Alberto Nardelli Chief Strategist of www.UnLtdWorld.com said,

“This environmentally friendly event is set to raise important issues as well as money, and we only hope that people get behind the efforts to make the event a great success for charities and social enterprise alike. We are proud to be involved with such a great premise, and cannot wait for the event.

Our vision is to create a lasting platform that will allow social entrepreneurs to raise funds through fun and meaningful events. Think of it as a charity marathon for the YouTube generation.”

Andrew Walker, Creative Director of Thin Martian said,
“Shoreditch Grand Prix is a bit underground, it’s cool, it’s a bit geeky, it’s definitely about having a laugh and it will make a positive impact on the community. What better way to show the positive side of the inner city as a place to live and work than thirty racing teams blasting round a street circuit on kiddies tricycles? Good causes will benefit massively and it’s going to be a great day out.”


For further info or to arrange any interviews, contact Rich Leigh of 10 Yetis Public Relations Agency on 01452 348 211 or rich@10yetis.co.uk.

EDITORS NOTES

Shoreditch Grand Prix is sponsored by eBay for Charity, Social Enterprise, Last.fm, Mozzo, greentomatocars, EveryClick and Greenknickers.

The Seven Rules of Shoreditch Grand Prix:

•It's a race on kid’s fun tricycles and tractors around a street circuit in Shoreditch. Each team must contain up to three people (it's a 5 lap race), each aged 18 or over. The vehicles will be supplied to competitors.

•Each rider must wear protective equipment when they are on their vehicle.

•Each team has to raise money for a charity or social entrepreneur project *.

•The top 30 teams that raise the most sponsorship by August 14th 2008 will be invited to race.

•The race grid will be determined by a fastest-lap qualifying session.

•If your business wants to enter a team, corporate entry packages start at £1000. Please contact us here.

•If your team doesn't raise enough money to race, this money will still be donated to the charity or social entrepreneur project of your choice. However, if you fundraise for a social entrepreneur project and haven't raised a minimum of £100, the money will be directed and evenly distributed to the social entrepreneur projects that have raised the most funds in the Shoreditch Grand Prix.
Definition of a Social Entrepreneur:

Social Entrepreneurs are people with vision, drive, commitment and passion who want to change the world for the better. To be recognised as such, a Social Entrepreneur would need to have been affiliated with any of the following organisations: UnLtd, School for Social Entrepreneurs, Ashoka, Schwab, Skoll, Changemakers, and The Big Boost.

Thin Martian:

Thin Martian is a creative agency specialising in online games, digital media and innovative promotional campaigns. They work with a diverse range of clients including Play.com, Microsoft, AOL, Xbox, Sky, The Commonwealth and The Ministry of Sound.

UnLtd

UnLtd is the charity that supports social entrepreneurs - people with vision, drive, commitment and passion who want to change the world for the better. We do this by providing a complete package of funding, support and networking, to give them the best possible chance to make their ideas a reality. UnLtd supports 1000 social entrepreneurs every year, in the world’s largest and most ambitious programme of its kind.

UnLtdWorld

UnLtdWorld is an online platform that connects social entrepreneurs, social innovators, socially-minded people and organisations that invest their efforts in changing the world for the better, and enabling these audiences to share critical social insight and targeted information. In parallel to fostering a vibrant community, UnLtdWorld aims to help build the capacity of social entrepreneurship, and enhance the efficiency of relations and information sharing between social entrepreneurs, policy makers, research, organisations and the general public. We aim to do this mainly through the UnLtdWorld Research Lab, the world's first mapping of social entrepreneurship to directly integrate into a social network.