Thanks for reading this.

In January I decided 2019 would be the year I would enter my first ever triathlon. This is not something I normally do at weekends, and by far the biggest physical challenge I've ever attempted but with the aim of getting fitter, learning some new skills like the front crawl....and raising some money for Spear.   

Spear is a London-based charity which runs courses to coach young people aged 16-24, the so-called NEETs (people not in education, employment or training) gain the skills to get a job.  Through no fault of their own they have disadvantage to overcome.   Some come from family backgrounds where no-one has worked for 3 generations.  Or maybe their only parent became sick, and as a young teenager they've had to miss school to care for them.  Or maybe they developed depression at university, never completed their course, and lost their way. 

Spear does amazing work through its courses to help get these young people back on track and into work. They coach them in positive mental attitude, basic skills like how to write a CV or job application, interview practice, and even how to shake someone's hand (which no-one will ever teach you).  Their success rate is such that after 12 months, 3 out of 4 Spear graduates are in some sort of education or employment.

I feel a connection to the work of Spear, because education, training and work has been such an important part of my story. No-one should be barred from getting a job because they lack basic skills or because of their background.  In the 10 years Spear Clapham Junction has been running, it has changed the lives of 1,000 young people in the area.

It costs £1,600 to put a young person through Spear, and I'd like to raise enough to put 2 people through the programme.  Please give generously if you can. It will literally change the life of a young person.

Thank you very much.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.