At 4 am on Sunday 3rd May 2026 a jar of chutney made by Amber Rosenthal began it’s 86-mile journey along the Dorset coast in a unique and poignant fundraising challenge.
The idea for the sponsored relay event came from adventurous Dorchester resident Justin Loveland to remember his partner Amber Rosenthal, who tragically died in January 2024.
After Justin Loveland’s devastating death in a cycling accident in Dorchester on his journey to work in May 2025, Amber and Justin’s friends and family worked together to bring his idea to life and remember them both. They have so far raised near £7,000 for the mental health charity MIND in the process.
Why a jar of chutney and why a coastal relay? Amber loved to make a chutney to use up all their spare allotment produce and leftover jam jars that she did not like to waste. Justin loved a challenge, especially one involving the Dorset coast and a bit of running in the dark!
It took the group of 57 friends and family a total 18 hours carry the chutney jar 86 miles from Studland to Lyme Regis. The chutney jar was carried in a specially made bumbag with their names inscribed on the front.
The route was divided up into 14 sections with between 2 and 15 people taking part in each section. Each had a different pace and length meaning that everyone who wanted to take part, could take part.
The 6 km section from the King’s Statue in Weymouth to Smallmouth Beach at the start of the Portland Beach Road was run by a group of six children that lived on the same street at Justin and Amber and loved going on camping trips and walks with them.
The 10 km section from Ferrybridge to Langton Herring was run at a very fast pace by Justin’s brother and two of Justin’s nephews.
Participants shared their sightings of butterflies and native plants along the way for Amber, knowing how much she loved them. Amber Rosenthal worked in wildlife conservation and spent many hours looking for dormouse nests, butterflies and rare orchids throughout Dorset. Her knowledge and passion for wildlife and care for the environment were incredible.
The longest section of the chutney run was a 27 km stretch from Swanage to Worbarrow Bay near Tyneham which started at 5:15 am and was completed in a just over 3 hours!
The last section of the chutney run coming into Lyme Regis from Charmouth involved the biggest group of people. Many teachers who used to work with Justin Loveland at Woodroffe School joined with this stretch of the route.
The event finished with head torches at 10 pm on Monmouth Beach with a group of ex-students from Woodroffe School welcoming the final group into the town. Then the group celebrated the finish with sparklers (an Amber favourite) on the beach.
After such an amazing day, all that was left to do was to eat the chutney. The group of friends and family met again on Monday 4th May at Hardy Monument to open the special, and very well-travelled, jar of chutney and enjoy a shared picnic.
The justgiving page for the chutney run, raising money for MIND charity is still open and any extra donations would be gratefully received. The page link is https://www.justgiving.com/page/dorsetchutneyrun?msockid=32ad52fa4ea265a1391544854f5964d7
MIND is a fantastic charity that supports millions of people with their mental health to ensure that people do not feel isolated. It advocates for an improved mental health support network across the UK.
