Having moved from Finland to UK, the world of charity sports was totally alien concept to me. Having now lived in the UK for over 10 years, I think that charity challenges are one of the great British traditions, something that every expatriate should take part as soon as they can. Not only do you get to know English countryside better, you also get a chance to make some great friends. You also need to raise funds to donate to the charity in order to take part in the sports challenge, and this gives you a great opportunity to get involved in your local community and hone in your networking and business skills.

There are plenty of organisers and events to choose from. Some charity events are open for you to support any charity, such as London Marathon, i.e. you choose which charity to donate to. Others are dedicated to supporting a particular charity. And there are over 150,000 registered charities in the UK.

So how do you choose your charity challenge, or the charity to support? If you feel strongly about a particular cause, such as cancer, then look for specific events in support of MacMillan Cancer Support or Cancer Research UK.

If you are sports enthusiast, then you can look for a charity that is affiliated with a particular sport. For example, Wooden Spoon is the charity associated with rugby. There are several charities associated with football. The advantage of the sport association is that you are likely to find like-minded people. Just remember the English saying – "football is gentlemen's game watched by thugs, rugby is thugs' game watched by gentlemen."  

So how can you get involved? If the charity challenge is for a team, it is quite common for colleagues in the workplace to form a team. So ask around if anyone has taken part in the past or would like to take part. You can also contact the local regional branch of the charity.