Hackney Half Marathon 2014

I have decided to come out of retirement and join the hipsters of Hackney in running a half marathon on June 22nd! And no, I am not going through a midlife crisis!

I am running to raise money for one of my favourite charities, Teen Challenge London (TCL). Who are they? Well they are a Christian charity which helps men of all ages to come off life controlling addictions including drugs and alcohol. TCL is part of a worldwide charity which has been running for over 50 years helping both men and women.

I have been fortunate to have been a volunteer at the Teen Challenge Centre in Ilford, East London and have seen many people's lives changed from having no home, job or contact with their families to becoming "fully paid up members of society". For testimonies of some of the people who have been through the centre and to find more about Teen Challenge, please go to tclondon.org.uk.

Why am I raising money for TCL? Two reasons: Firstly the management is planning to expand the Centre's services by opening a training centre to help the men learn new skills to help them to get work once they leave. Secondly, TCL survives on donations from various sources, so additional income is always welcomed.

I have set myself a target of raising £500 and running under 2 hours 15 mins! I appreciate that everyone is bombarded with requests from many charities to make donations. However, whatever you can give to TCL would help to change lives and have a positive effect on British society. Yes, that's a big statement, but I believe that this is the case. By the way, over 95% of your donation would go directly to TCL, the remainder goes towards Every Click's admin fees.

Thanks for reading my statement and I hope that you feel led to make a donation to the work of TCL.

Mike