Thank you for visiting my JustGiving page to find out about sponsoring me in the Brighton Marathon (26 miles!) on 18th April 2010 to raise vital funds for St John Ambulance Homeless Service. (Please also take a look at: www.justgiving.com/homelessrunners to find out about a team of friends of the Homeless Service taking part in the Hastings Half Marathon!)

Homelessness is usually the end result of a long chain reaction of events stemming back to childhood abuse and/or deprivation, often involving mental health problems and/or alcohol or drug misuse, which people sometimes turn to as a (poor) coping mechanism.

Institutionalisation – through growing up in local authority care or serving in the armed forces – is also an all-too-common factor behind homelessness.

Homeless people suffer rates of physical and mental ill-health far greater than the general population and are 35 times more likely to commit suicide.

Homeless people are often discriminated against, and for all these reasons can find it very hard to re-integrate into society and to access health care services.

St John Ambulance Homeless Service is a nurse-led primary health care service working towards improving the health of homeless people, re-integrating them into society and other services, and promoting understanding of homelessness among the wider community.

The Homeless Service receives no Government funding and is funded by the Big Lottery until 28^th February 2010. After that it will be dependent on grants, donations and fund-raising events, such as this one and the Hastings Half Marathon (please see www.justgiving.com/homelessrunners).

Many, many thanks for whatever you are able to donate.
God bless you, Roger.

PS: For more info about the Hastings Homeless Service, please visit:

http://www.sja.org.uk/sja/counties/sussex/hastings-homeless-service.aspx