Chris' Big Run #ChrisBigRun #EdgeNE

Chris Mann, our Edge NE Project Lead, will be donning his best training shoes and embarking on a coast to coast run of the North East to raise awareness of child exploitation and donate clothing and other gifts to young people in need aged 14 - 18.

The run will begin in Barrow, Cumbria and take place over several days, ending at the Edge NE offices in North Shields.

Run begins (...gulp...) - Saturday 3rd December - 9am

Run ends (phew!) - Friday 9th December - Edge office in North Shields - 12pm / 1pm (hopefully!)

About Chris Mann - Our Mann (geddit?) Chris, is a 40 year old 'athlete' with a passion for helping others. He has been a part of the Edge North East team for 3 years now and describes the best part of the job as, "the young people that I have been given an opportunity to help". It's exactly these young people that Chris will be raising money for. The age bracket he will be helping (14 - 18 year olds) are an often neglected group at this time of year, so Chris will be raising money for clothing and other gifts for those in need.

In further describing the best parts of the role Chris also added "... oh and the team that I work with!" (Thanks! ;) )

Chris would like people to open their eyes to the exploitation and neglect that often goes unseen around them in the North East - "people think that county lines gangs and child exploitation don't happen in their area... 'aye that's a problem they have down South isn't it?' 'Ee that doesn't happy round here, we're lucky'. No, in fact it definitely does and is a serious problem affecting the lives of young people right here in the North East. The more that people are aware, the more they can help and the more young people who are vulnerable can be supported!"

In terms of running experience, Chris has done the GNR twice now and has undergone months of training before taking on #ChrisBigRun. The run is going to be a difficult one but as Chris states - "It’s hard to run, but it's not going to be as hard as a kid having a knife put their throat, fearing or their life, told to take drugs, a young girl being taken to a house or young people being chased by a gang with knives!"

So, please support Chris by sharing this page, sharing his posts and donating whatever you can to help vulnerable young people in need! #ChrisBigRun

Chris' running tunes - 90's dance classics // Oasis

Best running tune - Robert Miles - Children

About Edge North East - Edge North East is an organisation dedicated to supporting young people (ages 14-25) who have been affected by criminal exploitation and serious youth violence. The organisation aims to affect change in a young person’s trajectory and prevent exploitation from county lines gangs. It does so via a combination of outreach, mentorship and group activities.