Hello! We (Beth and Soph) are running the Hackney half marathon in May. It will be both of our first half marathons (!!) and we’re running to raise money for Make Harringay Home, an organisation in our local area we’re both involved with - and very passionate about. 

Make Harringay Home is a Community Sponsorship group (more on that here - https://www.citizensuk.org/campaigns/sponsor-refugees/), and our aim is to resettle a family from the UN refugee list in Harringay, the neighbourhood in north London where we both live. Make Harringay Home provides an opportunity for us to make a small but significant difference amidst the ongoing refugee crisis.

You’ll find a full description of what the group is doing, and what the money we raise will go towards, below - thank you so much in advance for any donations, we are very grateful. We’ll be posting updates on our page so stay tuned for more (sweaty pictures will be withheld to save your eyes) x

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Community Sponsorship provides a safe and legal route for refugees to resettle in the UK. The programme is aimed at some of the most vulnerable people who may be living in refugee camps or in other unsafe situations. This is a chance for a family to restart their lives in safety and security.

We’re at the beginning of the journey to welcome a family to the Harringay area and our minimum funding target is £9,000. This money will be used to provide initial support such as household rent, contribution to bills, basic furniture, travel passes, and ESOL lessons. Through Make Harringay Home, we will be sourcing a local home for a family, setting up access to education and health services, helping to organise jobs and English lessons, and providing a warm welcome and support when the family arrives.

Through values of empowerment and self-sufficiency, Make Harringay Home aims to help a refugee family to start an independent life in Harringay. Since 2016, local Community Sponsorship groups across the UK have contributed to the resettlement of 143 families.