Story
I recognise money is tight at the moment, so there is no pressure to donate, but if you can spare a few pounds that would be brilliant.
On Sunday 10th September, I will be lining up with Sir Mo Farah and around 60,000 other people to run in the Great North Run. It’s 13.1
miles starting in Newcastle City centre, through Gateshead and finishes on the South Shields seafront.
I am taking on this challenge with the aim of raising awareness and hopefully some money for SASH (Safe and Sound Homes), a youth homelessness charity that works across York, North and East Yorkshire. Many of the young people supported by SASH have had a difficult start to life through no fault of their own and I have seen first-hand the difference their services make. By offering a young person a safe place to call home, they can start to work through the trauma and other issues holding them back, ultimately allowing to plan their future and reach their full potential.
Please take a few minutes to visit the SASH website, to learn more about their work – www.sash-uk.org.uk.
In particular, I urge you to read some of the young people’s stories, which is an important reminder how quickly the support networks we take for granted can start to fall away and how important it is we have services in the community to catch people when this happens.
I am the first to admit that my body is probably more suited to a game of darts down the pub then running a half marathon, so I sure it is going to be a big challenge on the day. The Great North Run is a fantastic event though and it holds as special place in my heart as the route takes me right past my childhood home. At that point on the
day (if I make it that far) I will be take a moment to remember how lucky I was to have a stable place with a supportive family when I was younger.