Just Another Brick In The Wall? I Don't Think So...

For most of us, myself included, we all like to enjoy the finer things in life; family, friends, houses, cars, holidays, money in the bank and stress-free living. 

Yes, the money in the bank, holidays, house and car are nice to have now but it's not always been like that for me. I grew up in the 80's, I was raised on a council estate in Kent, we were a family of 5 and a single income household for the majority of the time. We saw a major recession, which struck the family finances very hard and tightened the breadline. In my early teens I worked hard every day to better my situation by working whenever I could to help bring in some extra income and educate myself. Our family situation was made a lot easier by the help and support provided by our family, friends and local community, and I felt as a child that without that loving help it'd have taken us longer to get on our feet and reclaim full control of our futures.

Times have changed but unfortunately my story is not so dissimilar to that of millions of people across the country. The cost of living has doubled and continues to grow, local food-banks are overrun and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel for some. Unemployment figures are lowering, which is promising but the minimum wage is still lagging behind and the modern creation of the internet provides enough access to payday loans at 999% APR and unlimited ways to fall into financial hardship. It all sounds like doom and gloom doesn't it? Not quite...

So, it's no secret, I'm no athlete. I'm more like a couch, built for comfort not speed, having said that tho, I did win the 100m sprint record in my street as a kid running for the ice-cream van! In 8 days time I am going to run the Greater Manchester 10k and I have chosen to support The Brick.

The Brick was introduced to me by Howard & Kathy, a lovely couple who host the Asana North West Property Meet in Blackrod. Every month their community grows in numbers and continues to do so. The thing I love is that Asana supports The Brick every month in the form of monetary donations. I like this, it's simple and effective, it means so much to the end user. I love The Brick's principles and key aims.

Here's a bit from The Brick... 

Our aim is to eradicate homelessness and poverty in our community. We support homeless people, those facing homelessness, and people experiencing crisis or poverty in the Wigan borough.People who are marginalised by society, who can, with support, become independent and contribute positively to their communities. Services include crisis intervention, housing and health support on behalf of the Council, a foodbank, social and employment training, and wide-ranging volunteering opportunities. We ensure no one in our community gets left behind.

I'd love everybody to get behind me on the 20th May and help me raise a suitable amount of money to support a standout charity who are doing some fantastic work to help improve struggling NW community. 

Donate whatever you can, even if it's just a quid, every single penny raised will go a long way!

Thank you so much.

Pete Baker