I am running the Great North Run for The Teesside Charity, a charity that helps in the local community and do great work for a number of different communities.

Formerly the Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation, the charity’s key function is to financially support community groups and charities based within Teesside, which promote social wellbeing and provide support to those who find themselves at a disadvantage in the society they live in. These include but are not exclusively the homeless, those recovering from an addiction, the long-term unemployed, those living in poverty or living with a disability and employment schemes.

The Teesside Charity helps those on the margins of society be involved in society and not excluded from opportunities.

Teesside is a deprived area of the UK. It has higher crime rates, more pupils eligible for free school meals and higher unemployment than the national average. However, it also has great resilience and motivation to excel in areas.