ELLIE RUNS THE BIG HALF

Hello friends! Please support me in running my first half marathon, The Big Half, in London on Sunday 3rd September.

I will be raising money for Pathway, a charity close to my heart (and my head - as the place I also call work). Pathway is the UK’s leading healthcare charity for people experiencing homelessness and other forms of multiple and severe exclusion. We work with the NHS to improve the quality of care of our patients and use hospital stays as an opportunity for people social exclusion to move onto a more positive life path.

Why do we do this work?
The average age of death among people experiencing homelessness in the UK is 47 for a man and 43 for a woman, compared to 79.5 and 83.1 in the general population. "[People experiencing homelessness] in the UK don’t die from exposure. They die from treatable medical conditions." - Dr Nigel Hewett, Pathway's former Medical Director. People experiencing homelessness are 50x more likely to have Hepatitis C, 12x more likely to be diagnosed with epilepsy and 6x more likely to suffer heart disease.

How will my donation be used?
The proceeds of this year's charity run will go towards Pathway's legal advice project, which provides free advice and representation to the patients of specialist homelessness and inclusion health services across London. Working across 7 Pathway teams, this service reaches 100-120 patients every year, many of whom have complex legal cases, with 12-15 patients receiving full case work support from one of our partner solicitors. This service costs £2083 per month, but the impact is priceless: tackling the underlying causes of homelessness can change lives forever.

Please visit pathway.org.uk/donate/ to set up a regular payment or to add Pathway to your will.