As of 2024, the West Midlands is one of the worst-hit areas in the country for child poverty with 46% of children living below the breadline in Birmingham alone (the highest since records began)

The demand for food parcels and other essentials has risen by 64% in the past five years and foodbanks are seeing more families struggling to afford the basics. Out of 278,000 food parcels given in the West Midlands in 2023; 103,892 were for children.

On Sunday 27th April 2025, I'll be running the London Marathon to support the fight against food poverty and raising funds for FareShare Midlands. Your donations can make a real difference in helping provide meals and resources to individuals and families struggling to put food on the table.

I'll be tracking and uploading all my training so you can see if I'm going to be up to scratch on Marathon Day.

Foodbanks were set up to provide a short-term solution to support people in an emergency, they are not a lasting solution to hunger and poverty. But until change is made, we can all do something to ensure families have access to basic necessities.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjrddgn21y3o

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly2px0d1elo

https://childpoverty.birminghamlive.co.uk/

https://hellorayo.co.uk/free/local/news/more-than-278000-emergency-food-parcels-given-in-the-west-midlands/