We're on the lookout for volunteers to join us at the 2026 London Marathon. As a volunteer on the day you’ll support Mencap to make change through raising funds and cheering on our superstar marathon runners.
The 2026 TCS London Marathon is a 26.2 mile run around central London with over 40,000 people taking part. Mencap has over 128 runners taking part and fundraising for us. They will run on Sunday 26 April 2026. Each of our runners will try to raise £2,500. We want to give them as much support as possible so will have cheer points along the route, and a post race reception to congratulate them for their achievement!
We need volunteers to join us at one of our 3 cheer points - the cheer points are at Tower Bridge, Embankment, or at the Finish Line on the Mall! For these roles you will need to come ready to cheer and high five our amazing runners! For the finish line, there are 2 roles you could do, either meeting the runners at the finish line to congratulate them and guide them to the team, or to meet them on Horse Guards parade and hand out snacks and congrats!
We are asking you to volunteer for around 4 hours, rain or shine, so be ready to bring the enthusiasm to help them cross the line!
The London Marathon is the biggest one day fundraising event in the world! Because of this, it is really popular to both run and with families and friends to come and support the runners. Some of our cheer points are in busy areas of the route, and can get very busy. Sometimes, roads or tube stations might also be closed, so you may not be able to go your planned route to your cheer point. However, you will have a volunteer manager on the who will be on hand to support you who you can call to give you guidance on where to go! Earlier and later volunteers shifts will also be less busy if you prefer to be away from the crowd.
Our events are vital to Mencap, bringing people together to share experiences, launch programmes and celebrate successes! They also often help to raise funds for our services, such as the Learning Disability Helpline, advocacy services, and national campaigns such as Homes not Hospitals.
We couldn't run these events without the support of volunteers, so by giving a few hours of your time you can help us to host events, raise vital funds to support Mencap's work and support people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives.
You'll be part of a diverse and inclusive team alongside volunteers with and without a learning disability. You will represent Mencap and help to promote our work and raise awareness for people with a learning disability at iconic events across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
What we're looking for in a Mencap Volunteer:
- Friendly and Approachable
- Reliable, Kind and Patient
- A good communicator (including listener)
- Willing to volunteer within guidelines and to take direction where necessary
- Accepting of others who might be different to yourself
- Ready to be loud, cheer, and give high fives!
As a Mencap volunteer you will:
- Make new friends
- Receive agreed out of pocket expenses in line with our policy e.g. travel
- Receive a full volunteer briefing and training on the day
- Volunteer alongside our experienced
- Have a chance to give back your local community
What will I be doing? You will be volunteering at one of Mencap's cheer points on April 26th. This might include:
- Cheering our runners
- Waving flags
- Making lots of noise with clappers and whistles
- Thanking people for running and raising money for Mencap