Box Hill Super Climb | Mass Participation Cycling Event
Background
Sense supports people with complex disabilities to communicate, experience the world and live more independent lives. The charity wanted to expand its mass participation fundraising portfolio with a flagship cycling event that could attract new supporters while re-engaging existing fundraisers.
The opportunity came through an exciting new partnership, giving Sense exclusive access to a closed-road cycling event on Box Hill. One of the UK's most iconic cycling climbs and a centrepiece of the London 2012 Olympic road race, Box Hill offered the perfect foundation for a distinctive fundraising experience.
The Challenge
Sense asked us to create the event from the ground up, developing the audience, fundraising proposition, event concept, name, brand identity and creative campaign.
The challenge was to build a cycling event that appealed to experienced sportive riders without excluding less competitive cyclists. It needed to feel challenging enough to inspire sponsorship while remaining flexible, inclusive and capable of growing year after year.
The Creative Strategy
The strongest fundraising events are built around something people can't experience anywhere else.
Our audience research identified three powerful selling points: the rare opportunity to ride on closed roads, the iconic status of Box Hill, and the chance to take on a challenge that cyclists could personalise.
From these insights, Box Hill Super Climb was born.
Participants were invited to tackle the famous Zig Zag climb as many times as they could during the event, creating a challenge that rewarded determination rather than speed. Whether completing two climbs or pushing towards an extraordinary personal target, every rider could define success on their own terms.
The name captured the proposition perfectly, immediately communicating both the location and the scale of the challenge while giving Sense a distinctive fundraising product it could truly own.
Visually, we developed a bold campaign identity inspired by the energy of cycling, working closely with the Sense brand team to ensure the charity's beneficiaries remained central to the storytelling while maintaining high accessibility standards across every campaign asset.
Impact
Box Hill Super Climb gave Sense a distinctive mass participation cycling event built around one of Britain's most recognisable cycling destinations.
By combining audience insight, proposition development, event branding and integrated campaign strategy, the project created a scalable fundraising product capable of attracting new supporters, generating long-term income and encouraging participants to return year after year to beat their personal best.
Services Delivered
Fundraising Product Development
Mass Participation Event Strategy
Cycling Event Development
Audience Insight
Campaign Proposition Development
Event Naming
Creative Direction
Brand Identity
Integrated Campaign Strategy
Accessible Design
Fundraising Communications
Supporter Experience Design