I'm running my first half marathon on June 13th to raise money for Mermaids UK, a charity supporting trans and gender non-conforming youth, and Sisters Uncut, a feminist direct action group for domestic violence services currently campaigning for #KilltheBill. All money raised will be split evenly between these two charities.

In particularly fraught times for social justice and equality I wanted to do something as an ally to help these fantastic organisations in whatever way possible; I thought I’d use my legs to do so!

A Note on the Charities:

In the face of widespread misinformation and bad-faith depictions of trans issues in the media, Mermaids Uk’s ground level work is immensely important for broadening the current conversation, and offering practical support for trans and gender non-conforming youth. In providing professional education resources for schools, advice for parents, and crucial information about trans health care rights and services, Mermaids UK do invaluable work in educating people about trans issues and helping young trans and non-binary people navigate them. All trans people should have the right to self-determination, to the human rights and social protections which are so often denied them.

Read more about Mermaids UK here: https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/about-us/

Before and following the killing of Sarah Everard by a serving Met police officer, and the subsequent #KilltheBill movement, Sisters Uncut have been on the frontline in fighting for women’s rights to safety and against increased policing powers with less accountability. A Feminist direct action group who’ve long understood the fatal intertwining of austerity politics, racism, anti-immigrant sentiment and a punitive state, with systemic gendered violence, Sisters Uncut organise as a non-hierarchical, intersectional collective, providing a safe space for survivors and organising protests and actions in support of specialist domestic violence services.

Read more about Sisters Uncut here: https://www.sistersuncut.org/faqs/