Simon Roche

Running the Marathon Des Sables

Fundraising for The Gatehouse
£9,221
raised of £3,000 target
Donations cannot currently be made to this page
Event: Marathon Des Sables 2022, from 25 March 2022 to 4 April 2022
From November 2021 to March 2022 we are asking for donations to help the Gatehouse overcome the negative physical, mental and financial impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, and to re-establish a full range of services at our community centre.

Story

The premiership of endurance events and billed as “the toughest footrace on earth”. 

I am running for the Oxford Gatehouse because it provides free support for adults who are homeless, vulnerably housed, on low income and/or looking for company and community. I work as a Housemaster - Segar's House, St Edward's School, Oxford - and spend my days and nights trying to forge a community and a home from home; not far from where I do this there are those without. 

The MDS is a 250km multistage race over 6 days in the Sahara Desert. This includes a double marathon day when the competitors start at midday (in that heat) and run into the night. Temperatures can get extremely high. Competitors must carry everything they need for 6 days and nights in order to sustain themselves: food, water, clothing, medical, washing, sleeping, cooking equipment (if you decide to heat your food, some don’t) and even an anti-venom pump in the unlikely event of a snake-bite. In order to finish, it is a question of how well you manage and sustain yourself both physically and mentally. 




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About the campaign

From November 2021 to March 2022 we are asking for donations to help the Gatehouse overcome the negative physical, mental and financial impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, and to re-establish a full range of services at our community centre.

About the charity

The Gatehouse

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RCN 1002741
A cafe for homeless and vulnerably-housed people aged 25+ in the centre of Oxford. Open six days a week in the early evening. We provide a wide range of support services and advice as well as simple, nutritious food and drink. In other words, a community centre for those who have no community.

Donation summary

Total raised
£9,220.37
+ £1,882.00 Gift Aid
Online donations
£9,220.37
Offline donations
£0.00

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