Welcome to my JustGiving page.
After last year’s London marathon I told myself I would never do it again. Well, if a week is a long time in politics, then it’s an eternity in marathon running. I can hardly remember the burning pain my entire body felt at last year’s finishing line. But it helped to raise over £12,000 for the Army Benevolent Fund. So this year I'm going to do it all over again, not once but twice. I will be trying to get round the twenty six miles in London next month and in Edinburgh in May.
I am running the two Capitals’ Marathons for two different Charities this year. The RAF Benevolent Fund does fantastic work supporting generations of RAF personnel who have served our country from the Second World War to Afghanistan today. The second charity that I am running for is the Homeless World Cup. In the year when many of the world’s best football teams gather in Brazil for the World Cup, there's also a tournament in Chile for homeless people from across the world. It is much more than a football tournament and aims to tackle the causes and consequences of homelessness through football.
As you may already know the RAF Benevolent Fund helps service personnel and their families with grants for those who are injured and assistance to partners and children.
For these two charities to do their work they continue to need public support. That's where you and my double 26.2 miles can come in. I know that we are all inundated with requests for sponsorship, but I have included a leaflet from the two charities that I hope you will find inspiring enough to support. When our Forces end their combat role in Afghanistan and the public profile of the Afghan campaign diminishes, it is essential that service charities continue to receive assistance. Many of those who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan will need our backing for many years to come.
If you want to make a donation to either of these charities and sponsor my marathons that would be great. It would be great if you were willing to make a small donation here. If instead you want to send a cheque, then please post to my office in the House of Commons made payable to 'RAF Benevolent Fund' ' or to 'The Homeless World Cup Foundation'.
Thank you for taking time to read about the appeal. Even if you don't donate, all is not lost. You may now know a little more about the Charities than you did before reading this.
Yours,
Jim Murphy MP
