It's about time I did the Great North Run. I know Tyneside well. I've been living there for 7 years now, walking and running its beautiful coastline at weekends while commuting weekly to London for my job as Head of the Department of History at Kings College London. I've chosen to raise money for my department's student hardship fund. London is an expensive place to live, and the current system of university funding means that some of our students struggle to make ends meet. Our fund offers stop-gap support for those in very straitened circumstances, or in cases where emergency financial assistance is required. Help me to help KCL history students by sponsoring my 13.1 mile run.