The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a dynamic, fast growing international revival movement within Islam. Founded in 1889, it spans over 200 countries with membership exceeding tens of millions. Its current headquarters are in the United Kingdom.

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the only Islamic organization to believe that the long-awaited Messiah has come in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^(as) (1835-1908) of Qadian. Ahmad^(as) claimed to be the metaphorical second coming of Jesus^(as) of Nazareth and the divine guide, whose advent was foretold by the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad^(sa). Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believes that God sent Ahmad^(as), like Jesus^(as), to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed and reinstitute morality, justice and peace. Ahmad’s^(as) advent has brought about an unprecedented era of Islamic revival. He divested Islam of fanatical beliefs and practices by vigorously championing Islam’s true and essential teachings. He also recognized the noble teachings of the great religious founders and saints, including Zoroaster^(as), Abraham^(as), Moses^(as), Jesus^(as), Krishna^(as), Buddha^(as), Confucius^(as), Lao Tzu and Guru Nanak, and explained how such teachings converged into the one true Islam.

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the leading Islamic organization to categorically reject terrorism in any form. Over a century ago, Ahmad^(as) emphatically declared that an aggressive “jihad by the sword” has no place in Islam. In its place, he taught his followers to wage a bloodless, intellectual “jihad of the pen” to defend Islam. To this end, Ahmad^(as) penned over 80 books and tens of thousands of letters, delivered hundreds of lectures, and engaged in scores of public debates. His rigorous and rational defenses of Islam unsettled conventional Muslim thinking. As part of its effort to revive Islam, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community continues to spread Ahmad’s^(as) teachings of moderation and restraint in the face of bitter opposition from parts of the Muslim world.

Every year the community holds a Charity event in order to assist various charities with fund raising. Our youth and children from around the country come together and participate in this annual event. The Charity Challenge and marathon walks have been running since 1986. To date we have raised nearly half a million pounds in aid for the various supported charities.

The first Charity walk, a 26 mile ‘Marathon Walk’, was held on the 18th of May 1985. Many subsequent walks were organised by the AMYA (Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association) as well as AMLA (Ahmadiyya Muslim Ladies Association) and the AMA (Ahmadiyya Muslim Ansarullah) – an association for men aged 40 and over. All the walks were held with aim for raising funds for local and national charities in the United Kingdom.

With this aim in mind the walks have progressed greatly through the years and fundraising has become more and more successful. Initially the walks were restricted to the surroundings of the Islamabad site in Tilford, Surrey. Then more scenic routes were adopted throughout the United Kingdom including the Yorkshire Dales, Bournemouth seaside and the National Trust’s Lyme Park in Manchester.