[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Runners in Athens: James Fox, Miriam Betz Heinemann, Vicky Baker, Dave Depares and David Heinemann
Former Index on Censorship magazine deputy editor Vicky Baker has raised £646 for Index in a race in Athens, Greece, that included running by the world-famous Acropolis.
Baker took part in the 10k run because of her interest in Index’s fellowship programme and raised three times as much as her original goal.
“Running in Athens made the race kind of different. I need sights to keep motivated. We did it around the Acropolis, but not up to the Acropolis. It was really steep, but you could see it, and there’s a bit more going on that keeps you motivated”
“It was quite hilly, but I think I was kind of aware of that, so I used to run up to Epping Forest from where I live, which is quite a hill, so that was my training programme”
She is also concerned about the lack of awareness that media freedom often receives from the public: “People tend to take free speech for granted until it’s something that you’ve lost. There are more free speech issues in our lives than we realise. There are daily stories that do have an impact on free speech that matter very much and aren’t always labelled as ‘free speech.’”
She wanted to support Index because “it’s an organisation that you can very much become involved in. It’s not a big organisation where the money you raise just goes off into the coffers alongside thousands of other donations.”
[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes”][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Support the Index Fellowship” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indexoncensorship.org%2Fsupport-the-freedom-of-expression-awards%2F|||”][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”89551″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.indexoncensorship.org/support-the-freedom-of-expression-awards/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator][vc_column_text]Baker, a journalist, added: “I have a long-standing relationship with Index because of what they do… I don’t think you ever fully leave. You certainly don’t go ‘oh well I’ve got a new job, I’m not interested in free speech anymore’.”
Baker ran with friends Dave Depares, James Fox and Index’s head of fellowship David Heinemann. They coordinated a Facebook and email campaign to raise funds for Index while Miriam Betz Heinemann ran for the refugee organisation START. The funds raised will be used to support Index’s fellowship programme.
“The fellowship was one of the things that left a big impression on me, having worked at Index. I’ve been really interested in following the stories of winners and nominees and what they do next. It’s a brilliant programme,” Baker said.
“It’s very personal because Index is such a small organisation. It enables them to form those relationships, rather than getting the people to fit into programmes that already exist, the programme kind of works around them and responds very much to what they need, and I think that’s what makes it very special,” she added.
The original fundraising goal was £200, and, at first, Baker worried that they had set the bar too high. After speaking with Index, she increased her goal: “We upped it and then people carried on sort of oblivious to what our total was, they were still supporting us.”
Baker raised three times her original fundraising goal through the support of friends, family and co-workers. “Some of my colleagues [from BBC] very kindly sponsored me too, and I think that was the aspect that appealed to them was the work that Index does protecting journalists… although we’re based in the London newsroom most of the time, obviously we’re dealing with people out in the field in much more dangerous situations,” Baker said.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1501762788354-aaf003fc-23de-5″ taxonomies=”7902″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
