The Catlin End-to-End, Bermuda’s largest fundraising event, has launched online registration and online pledging for the event, which will be held on May 1 and 2.

The organisers have also begun distributing brightly coloured brochures that include maps for the island-wide course and pledge sheets for participants and supporters.

In-person registration for this year’s event will take place from April 27 to May 1 from 9am to 5pm at Washington Mall 3 on 18 Church Street. Participants must also visit this location before the event to collect their T-shirts and goodie bags.

“We are urging everyone in the community to register for our 28th annual event or to go online and make a donation to support it,” said Anne Mello, the chairwoman of the End-to-End Charitable Trust, which organises the event.

“Our outstanding organising team is ready to deliver the best event day ever with some new elements this year.”

Essential to that is the swim, which will be held on May 1 at 5.30pm from the steps of The Fairmont Hamilton Princess. The rest of the event will be held the next day.

Ms Mello added that the Catlin End-to-End is much more than just a fitness challenge and fun day out for the more than 3,000 participants who take part. The pledges they collect, and the online donations made by generous individuals, are crucial to the charities supported by the event.

“Continued tough times mean the pledges given to our participants, or directly to the event, are more crucial than ever,” Ms Mello said. “Our emphasis this year is on families. All funds raised stay in Bermuda and help four charities that are on the frontlines of supporting Bermuda’s families in need.”

The charities supported by the Catlin End-to-End fundraisers in 2015 are:

The Eliza DoLittle Society: Bermuda’s largest food bank, providing free food to nearly all the feeding programmes on the Island, including the Salvation Army, Meals on Wheels, Coalition for the Protection of Children, and some families on government assistance. It also directly provides food to 300 individuals or families and operates a twice-weekly free lunch service in Hamilton. TEDS has distributed 200,000lbs of food in Bermuda this year.

Family Centre: A 25-year-old charity offering intensive counselling services, including screening, child and family counselling, school-based counselling, and community and home counselling. Programmes serve children suffering from abuse, neglect or other emotional challenges, and high-risk families. The Family Centre delivered 900 direct services to children and families in 2013.

Friends of Hospice: Bermuda’s only hospice, which provides both end-of-life care and palliative care for inpatients and operates a day hospice. It also operates a companion programme for people who otherwise would not have visitors, and a bereavement programme to help families cope with loss — before and after their loved one dies.

YouthNet: An island-wide programme, which matches volunteer mentors with 800 public school students each year, giving “at risk” students extra attention and support in both academics and social interactions. About half the students are in the YouthNet reading programme, High school students can be linked with peer mentors from other schools.

Donations can be made directly on the event website at www.bermudaendtoend.bm.

The Catlin End-to-End is sponsored by Catlin Bermuda, CellOne and The Royal Gazette, as well as a number of other generous corporate sponsors.