How did you get involved with The Running Charity?

I initially got involved with The Running Charity as a young person in desperate need of help and support. I have lived a life full of abuse and neglect, which followed me into adulthood. I was in and out of foster care, kept running away and fell into addiction and dangerous/vulnerable situations and environments. I had ended up in numerous abusive relationships, one of which almost killed me and caused me to lose my chance at being a mother. This was the final straw for me, there was nothing more a person could do to hurt me, and I started the long and painful journey of getting away and fighting for my survival. I was desperately seeking help, which is when I was introduced to the charity. This is the point my story began to change. 

What does your average day look like?

My average day is fairly busy, meeting with young people and delivering fitness or keywork sessions all over London.

What would you say is your proudest achievement since working with us?

I have had many proud moments and achieved so much during my time with The Running Charity. My proudest moment is getting my job at the charity and getting the chance to work with an amazing team that helped me change my life around. Now I get to be a part of the positive change to make the world a better place and help support those who need it.

What has been your best moment, personally?

I have had many amazing moments with The Running Charity. My most recent achievements are climbing Snowdonia with a group of young people on a residential trip to Wales and coaching a young person through their first half marathon (The Big Half), which was my very first race years prior. This meant a lot to me and was a wonderful experience.

Why do you like working with young people?

I like working with young people because I enjoy supporting and helping them overcome their obstacles. It’s a great feeling knowing a young person leaves a session feeling better, achieving a goal and being able to improve their lives with support. I get to work with many wonderful young people full of potential that are struggling, and it’s an honour to be able to help empower them to take care of themselves, reach their goals and improve their lives.

Away from The Running Charity, what keeps you busy?

Away from The Running Charity, I keep busy with my own training and new hobbies. I recently took up weightlifting to advance my training and joy of exercise. I also like to set challenges for myself each year. This year I am planning to run 3 marathons in the month of April 2023.

When did you start running and why? 

I started running in 2018 when I was introduced to The Running Charity as a young person. This was the first time I had ever ran and it wasn’t pretty. The next day I was so sore it felt as if I’d never used my legs before. This didn’t stop me from going back the following week; before I knew it, I was running 5km and started joining group sessions. I had decided that I wanted to run more than I wanted to smoke and use drugs, and I began training for my first half marathon in 2019. Running, paired with the support from all the wonderful people at The Running Charity helped improve my mental state and encouraged me to make better choices and take care of my health. Knowing how wonderful and effective The Running Charity is and how they changed my life made me want to stick around to be a part of helping others. This led to me graduating the programme, volunteering and eventually being employed.