As the weather changes and falls back in to the stereotype we all know and love as Mancunians, the days become shorter and present an overcast shadow resembling the grey smoke of a City that began its journey with cotton.
Frazer John is working closely with Manchester City Council’s Rough Sleepers Team to increase the fundraising and raise as much extra money and awareness as possible as, with four weeks to go to the half marathon, the training becomes more intense:
Imagine waking at 5:30 in the morning to face the wind and rain lashing against your face;
Imagine plodding the streets of Manchester with onlookers internally questioning where you’ve been, where you’re going – how far have you come?
Imagine low energy levels peaking as you cannot see an end in view;
Imagine blisters covering your feet and burning an intense pain through your leg with every step you take…
…now imagine training for the half Marathon?
Life can catch up with us all sometimes; we live in a fast-paced world of social media, blogs, diet plans, commuting and box-sets when the issues we face, as a City, present themselves on our very own doorstep.
The Big Change – a collaboration of charities supporting the homeless community – is a cause close to our heart. With headquarters in the centre of Manchester, we are reminded of the devastating crisis on a daily basis.
Big Change Manchester
Big Change offers a collective solution to the homeless problem; a way to genuinely support those living on the streets. Hosted by Street Support, the fund can now be accessed by 28 organisations across Manchester and has now helped 1000+ people get off the streets. And it’s not just rough sleepers, they have raised more than £200k to provide a helping hand for people at a crucial juncture. This means someone may be financially supported with a deposit or provided with essential furniture or clothing to get them back on their feet and into work.
You might remember our most recent fundraising event, Manchester 3000 (if you took part, you’ll definitely remember!) which involved a 4500 step stairclimb up and down Manchester’s tallest buildings. It’s clear we’re drawn to rather unthinkable endurance challenges, but when you consider the battle that others endure on a daily basis, the short-term pain is negligible.
We managed to smash our target of £3000 for Big Change in the summer but we’re not about to stop there. For the Autumn, we’re embarking on two more fundraising challenges in a bid to up the pot: Manchester Half Marathon on 14th October and CEO Sleepout on 15th October.
Next week, we’ll delve into the physical and mental challenges these will bring and how we plan to tackle them head on, but in the meantime we would appreciate any donations you can make to our Big Change Fund.
