I went to cheer my Grandad over the finish line of the Marathon walk last year and decided there and then that I wanted to join him on the walk this year. I am proud that my Grandad is completing this challenge at age 78 and am looking forward to walking with him. I know this long walk will be a challenge for me, but I really want to raise money to help the homeless as it makes me feel sad whenever I see someone living on the streets and I always want to help.

The Walk Tonbridge Marathon is an annual event that not only invites walkers to challenge themselves, but also raises money for the Sustain Food Bank, a Tonbridge-based charity, tackling food poverty in the local area. The route follows 26.2 challenging miles through the Kent countryside, finishing at the Old Fire Station in Tonbridge town centre.

Grandad and I have decided to divide any money that we raise between our two chosen charities.

Grandad’s chosen charity is the Sustain Food Bank, which is run by Tonbridge Baptist Church and provides an average of 85 emergency food parcels every week to people who were referred by front line care agencies. A family parcel costs £30 and an individual parcel costs £20 to put together. It costs around £1,500 each week to run and is entirely reliant on donations.

My chosen charity is Nightwatch which is a homelessness charity based in Croydon. Nightwatch provides food, advice and other support to homeless and other vulnerable people. It helps people at every level of homelessness, from the street homeless to those in hostels and bed and breakfast accommodation as well as vulnerable former homeless people who need continuing support if they are not to become homeless again. Entirely volunteer-led, with no paid staff or office premises, every donation goes directly to those who need it most. All of the money raised from this page will be donated to Nightwatch.

Walking 26.2 miles will be tough, but it pales in comparison to the daily struggles faced by those without a safe place to call home or without enough money to put food on the table for their families. Any donation, big or small, will make a real difference in supporting the incredible work of these two charities.

Thanks in advance for your support.