Thanks to all who have donated so far.  If you haven't donated yet, then get on with it! 

 

I'm running the Chippenham Half-Marathon for "Crisis", the charity for Single Homeless people.  It's a cause close to my heart, and one I believe should not even need to exist in a developed nation like UK in this day and age. 

 

I haven't run these distances for quite some time, so have started training nice and early in the hope that I can make it all the way round without the need for a defibrillator!   The urge to do something, just my contribution to ending homelessness, is what motivates me to put on my running shoes and get out, even when the weather is freezing rain outside.

 

Homelessness isn't just people sleeping rough.  In fact most homeless people have either been granted temporary accomodation, or are forced to stay with friends or relatives who are willing to put them up.  Imagine having no permanent address, without an address, it's impossible to find work, access training courses, or many other services.  These people simple disappear into a system which makes them vunerable.  It's harder for single people, without children to get any state assistance for housing too.  People who have no option but to sleep rough, numbered 3500 in London alone, last year.  The average life expentancy in the UK for a rough sleeper is just 42 years of age.  This is shocking in a developed country like the UK.   The rapid deterioration of a persons health, who is homeless, or threatened with homelessness can be read about here:  http://www.crisis.org.uk/pages/health-and-dependancies.html.

 

If you want to read the work that Crisis does, please follow this link:  http://www.crisis.org.uk/pages/what-we-do.html.

Anyway, thanks for visiting my page, and thanks for reading, and most of all, thanks for donating.  Every bit helps.