Many times I have watched and been inspired by the runners of the London Marathon. Last year I decided to take the plunge by entering into the ballot. Against all odds I got a place. 

I have finally decided on a charity and to "go public" with my fundraising page, so now there is no going back. I will be running the London Marathon on 22nd April. Please sponsor me to make this inevitably painful experience worthwhile!

Below is some information about the charity I have chosen should you wish to know more. The reason I have chosen this charity is homelessness is an issue I feel passionately about. It can happen to anyone and can often be difficult to get out of once effected. I am a huge believer that people should be given the opportunities to fulfil their potential and lead the best life they can. Evolve helps thousands of homeless people make those first steps back into the community and towards independent, successful living. 

I will be organising an area in a pub nearby the finish for after the event. So if you do come down to support please do pop by to say hi. Watch this space for details.

Evolve Housing + Support is a homelessness and support charity, working with 2000 homeless young people and adults in London every year. They are the third largest provider of homelessness accommodation in London. Their purpose is to make a lasting difference to lives and communities by support and community services that enable homeless, vulnerable and disadvantaged people to achieve their full potential including giving back to their community.

Those living within their services have access to our Health + Wellbeing programme. They recognise that homelessness is caused and can cause complex needs, and they support their customers by offering an in-house counselling service, as well as complementary therapy's such as art therapy, creative writing and a head massage service to help alleviate stress. They work with them to help break the cycle of homelessness, and our Work + Learning programme enables customers to gain access to education, qualifications and work placements.  It aims to give their customers the confidence, skills and knowledge they need to get back into work, driving them towards independent living.

Finally, they have the Horizons mentoring scheme which is a programme set up within schools to work with children at risk of becoming homeless in later life to try and help steer them through their education and work with a mentor to develop solutions to pressures they may be facing at home or at school.

In order for Evolve to continue providing these services, they need to be fundraised for and the money I raise will go straight back into their services to support their customers.

Evolve do not only provide a roof for those they support, but strive to provide a whole solution to homelessness, aiming to enable their customers to move on and live independent lives within the greater community.

For more information please visit their website http://www.evolvehousing.org.uk/.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.