Last year it was sleeping outside on the streets of London, this year it’s something a little more active. Over 100km each day for three days, as 20 of us take on the cycle from the London Eye to the Eiffel Tower.

For those of you that are aware of my body mass index, this is a challenge that may prove my undoing in this my 39th year on planet earth. After training for 4 months, I humbly ask for anything you can give to this worthy cause.

The Pret Foundation has a simple goal – to help break the cycle of homelessness.

The Pret Foundation exists to make a difference to the lives of people experiencing homelessness, hunger, and poverty. They donate as much of Pret’s freshly made unsold food as possible at the end of every day to people who need it most, and offer financial support to grassroots charities. They also provide training and employment opportunities for those in need of a second chance through their Rising Stars programme, which includes the 12-week training programme, travel costs to and from work, uniform costs, access to a weekly peer support group, and 1-1 counselling if it’s needed.

Last year, The Pret Foundation supported over 100 people into sustainable employment and out homelessness, for good. People like Zizo, who was forced to leave his home country by the government and travelled to the UK seeking asylum. After two years of living in shared housing, and unable to work whilst his application was processed, he was granted asylum and given just 4 days to leave his accommodation. With no job and no money, Zizo found himself sleeping on the streets. The charity Crisis found him somewhere to live and referred him to The Pret Foundation’s Rising Stars programme. Zizo has now graduated from the programme, has a stable job in a Pret shop, and is thriving under the guidance of his team and support from The Pret Foundation. Zizo said “the Rising Star programme, it helped me. I was homeless, I was jobless. Pret gave me a really good chance to stay alive so that I can sort out my life”.

The Pret Foundation has committed to supporting another 400 Rising Stars through the programme over the next four years. Your donation could support someone like Zizo out of the cycle of homelessness. A donation of £25 can pay for a Rising Star to receive a certificate and gift at their graduation, and £90 could pay for a Rising Star to attend a private counselling session. If you’re feeling generous, £180 covers the cost for a Rising Star cohort to attend a chat group session, led by a qualified counsellor, where they can share their challenges in a safe and supported environment.

Every donation, no matter how small, brings me closer to my fundraising target and goes directly to supporting the most vulnerable in our society. Thank you for your generosity and wish me luck!