In 2007 the Rickshaw Run was very much in its infancy and at that time was being run by Mr. Tom, his pants and an elite crew of boredom fighters. Adventurists HQ was in a 'cosy' office space in Brizzle along with a couple of other organisations. Whilst The Adventurists were fighting to make the world less boring, just across the office a rather splendid young social entrepreneur, Katie Alcott was busy saving the world... of dirty water. How? By starting up a charity called FRANK Water.

FRANK Water Projects has been the Official Charity of almost every edition of the Rickshaw Run since. They specialise in funding clean water projects in India with a focus on removing bacteria, viruses & chemicals using different types of filters. All the projects are sustainable, community run rural village projects for villagers living below the poverty line. Research and development is also high in FRANK Water's priorities and the huge amount of fundraising enables them to be at the cutting edge of safe clean water provision by investing in their innovations lab and piloting new technologies.

Whilst we were rummaging through some numbers the other day we came across a few splendid results. Firstly, that the total raised on all our adventures by the teams hit the £3.5mil milestone. Secondly, the total raised by the Rickshaw Run alone just pipped over the £1mil mark. That includes all the funds raised for team's own choice charities as well as very over £500,000 for FRANK Water Projects. This is a huge sum which goes a long way in India.

Here's what Katie Alcott - Founder of FRANK Water Projects had to say:

"The extraordinary support from Rickshaw Runs over the past few years has raised over £500,000 in support of our clean water projects in India. Over 100,000 people now have access to clean, fluoride free drinking water, making a profound and lasting effect on lives.

Without doubt, this calls for an enormous THANK YOU to all Rickshaw Run teams past and present - incredible!! The Adventurists' ethos of designing hardcore adventures that raise huge sums of money for the communities they pass through is proving itself a huge success, long may it continue."

The Numbers

Rickshaw Runs: 16

Total Runners: 1,925

Kilometers Covered: 2,976,000 km

Total Raised: £1,033,277.70 (all charities)

Official Charity: £572,102.77 (FRANK Water)

Top FRANK Water Fundraiser: £8,759.73 (Team Tuk it Easy - Winter 2011)

Access to clean water: Over 100,000 people

A couple of teams wished they had the clean water from FRANK Water Projects during their Rickshaw Runs:

“I completed the Rickshaw Run in 2010 with The Adventurists raising funds for FRANK Water – I didn’t really recognise the need for clean water – that is until I got sick in India from drinking dirty water – I cannot recommend their work highly enough. Hats off to FRANK Water.” Team Tuk Tuk 2010

"Possibly the most shocking story of all however was some horrific amoebic dysentery tales shared by three male team members sharing a single bed - very messy indeed" from Mr. Matt's on-the-ground update from Autumn 2011.

Ticket to Adventure

FRANK Water are offering a free spot on the Autumn 2012 Rickshaw Run for a FRANK Water Team. The Run starts in Shillong in the east and crosses the entire north of India all the way to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. 3,000km of epic adventuring and the bombardment of all your senses in a 7 horse power (equiv. 1 family dog) rickshaw.

All you have to do to win is send an e-mail telling FRANK Water why they should choose you to hello@frankwater.com, deadline March 30th - good luck!

To find out more visit FRANK Water's website, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.