Runners set to take on London Marathon in support of poverty charity

Four people are running the London Marathon in support of poverty charity Turn2us. Ryan Teer, Matt O'Kelly, Julia Chomanicz and Thomas Rafferty will run the marathon, which covers a 26 mile course across London, on Sunday, the 22nd of April.

Turn2us helps people identify and access welfare benefits that they are entitled to, and grants that they are eligible for, as well as giving direct grants itself. With so many people in the UK struggling to make ends meet, rising numbers of people are seeking its help. Over 75,000 people called its helpline last year, while over 1.8 million welfare benefit calculations were undertaken on its website, and it gave over £3 million in grants in 2017.

They decided to run the marathon in support of Turn2us as they are very concerned that so many people in the UK are often forced to choose between heating their homes and eating food, or who live in homes without cookers or curtains because they are unable to afford them.

Explaining why he is running the marathon for Turn2us, Ryan said: “I love running and have a heart for giving to others who need my support. By running for the charity Turn2us I will run the greatest marathon of them all in London, and help people struggling with poverty. It’s a win-win scenario for everyone!”

Matt added: "My aims were to bring attention to the problems we face every day and to make a difference to the lives of those that are in desperate need of out help. We must unite together so that we can tackle these problems and to make a difference to those that need it the most. We can make today a better world for everyone."

Thanking those taking part for running the marathon in support of Turn2us, Keshini Mauree, fundraising officer at the charity said: “We are so grateful to our runners for running the marathon in support of the charity. They have put so much time and energy into training and fundraising, and then running the marathon. The money that they raise will go far in helping us fight poverty.”

You can find out more about the work of Turn2us at Turn2us.org.uk, where you can also access its welfare benefits calculator and its grants search tool.