Hello, I'm Oliver and I work for The Whitechapel as a Progression Coach. I have decided to challenge myself and do something way out of my comfort zone. A half marathon. It will be by far and away the biggest distance I have ran to date. Which is why it made sense to me that the best way to take this challenge on, is to do it in aid of a charity that I care so much about, by raising as much as possible for them. I've grown to enjoy running a lot over the last 2 years, however I have never ran even close to half marathon distance. I know that with the responsibility of such an important cause on my shoulders, I'll be able to push through and complete what I set out to do.

Why is an organisation such as The Whitechapel Centre so important?

The Whitechapel Centre is a leading homeless and housing charity for the Liverpool region. We work with people who are sleeping rough, living in hostels or struggling to manage their accommodation. We are committed to help people to find and maintain a home and learn the life skills essential for independent living.

We work with over 4,000 people a year. Our projects reflect the diverse routes into and out of homelessness. A variety of services, in different settings, compliment each other and ensure no one slips through the net of support.

What do I hope to achieve?

It's my intention to raise as much as possible to go towards the vital work being done in the city to prevent and end homelessness. The more we can raise, the more we can do to work with the people who are facing the most challenging situations. It's through roles like mine as a coach that we can give so much more time, opportunity and resources to those who need it most. I want that work to be able to grow and continue in supporting individuals in ways they want to be supported. Things such as cookery classes, nature walks, weekly football, arts and crafts, fishing groups, going for a brew and a chat, seeing people for who they are as a human being and taking their interests and things they're passionate about in to account with the work we do.