Hi there! 

I'm running the London Marathon on April 23rd to raise funds for Nova New Opportunities as we celebrate our 40th year. It’s a big milestone for us as a small charity, and I’m really excited to be able to show my support in this way. 

I’ve been with Nova for over a decade, and during that time we’ve helped the local community in North Kensington through some huge challenges: from the terrible Grenfell Tower fire, which happened just up the road from us and continues to have a serious impact on our area; through COVID-19 lockdowns, and more recently supporting people struggling with record supermarket price inflation and other basic living costs - which is my area of specialism working in advice and guidance.

I've experienced first-hand how Nova has listened and adapted our offering in response to the needs of our community. We're a small, tight-knit team, so we can make decisions and act fast without having multiple layers to go through to get things done :-)

For me, what makes Nova special  - and the reason why I love working there - is that we're unfailingly person-centred. I’m really humbled and proud of the fact that, as a team, we're able to do what we do with human warmth, seeing each person we work with as an individual with a unique story and dreams to catch, rather than a problem to be solved. Across our different services (we also offer adult education courses, an award-winning family programme, and social dialogue events for a stronger society) we support around 2,000 people each year.

So, yes, this marathon is going to be a big challenge for me – as I’m not getting any younger(!) – but it’ll be worth every drop of sweat and tears!

Thank you so much for visiting my page. I hope Nova is a charity you would consider supporting. It would be amazing if you are able to contribute to - or share with others - my campaign and help keep Nova running forwards towards the next 40 years!

Alex