#twopointsixchallenge April/May 2020

The 2.6 Challenge has been launched as way of helping charities make up for the £4billion shortfall they are expecting as a result of the Covid19 and race cancellations, including the Brighton and London Marathons. The concept is that you come up with (safe, socially distancing) ideas connected to 2.6. I’ve kicked off two weeks of challenges on Sunday 19th April with a warm 6.2mile run, my 4 year old son Tommy did 260 consecutive bounces on the trampoline yesterday followed by me doing a 2+6 (8 mile) run in the evening. 

As a family, we’re going to attempt to do something 2.6 related every day for the next two weeks - until Sunday 3rd May. At this point we will send whatever money has been raised to the charities... but I will then continue to fundraise until Sunday 20th September when I intend to run my first actual marathon at the rescheduled Brighton Marathon - fingers crossed!

Brighton Marathon 2020

I am still running the Brighton Marathon, but now on Sunday 20th September 2020. This will be my first marathon - I was intending to run it on 19th April after 18 months of training. Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the race has been postponed until September. This means an additional 5 months of training...

Funds will be collected by St Bonaventure's school and split 3 ways - a third to the Mizen Foundation, a third to BCCS and a third between two homeless charities in Newham: Caritas Anchor House and the NEWway Project. The first £50 raised will go towards the fund for the permanent memorial to Baptista within the school grounds.

The Mizen Foundation

Jimmy Mizen was murdered just after his 16th birthday. His family were determined that something positive would come from his death, including the setting up of Safe Havens. St Bonaventure’s students spent last summer working in Stratford town centre with other young people from Sarah Bonnell schools and managed to get 20 shops signed up as designated Safe Havens for young people.

Barry, Margaret and the rest of the Mizen family have supported us this year and we want them to be able to continue to spread their message of forgiveness, peace and hope to young people around the country. They have spoken to our Year 11 students this year, and we hope will continue to visit regularly.

BCCS

BCCS provide mental health and emotional wellbeing services in schools across Essex and East London. They support 1,600 new children each year and at any one time, will be caring for around 3,500 children, providing counselling and social workers.

BCCS have helped provide exceptional care of our students this year, particularly Year 11, and we want every young person that needs their services to have access to this level of love, care and support.

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Nearly 5,000 children live in temporary accommodation in Newham - 1 in 12 young people. According to Shelter (2019), the borough has the highest rate of homelessness in the country. It is a huge problem for the families at St Bonaventure's school.

Caritas Anchor House

Last year, Anchor House provided a home and support to 202 homeless people, supported 43 into employment, and 48 into independent living.

NEWway Project

NEWway is a shelter that runs from October to March, based in Newham churches that provide a warm bed, nutritious meals and friendly company for up to 15 guests each night.