On 1 May, Matthew Smith (OE 2018) set out on one of the longest journeys of his life. “Running the length of the country was one of the craziest ideas that has ever crossed my mind”, said Matthew, who intends to run the distance by road from Land’s End to John O’Groats during May and June, a total distance of 1,407km. Matthew is running laps of his garden, completing roughly 28km a day, or approximately 500 laps, in order to reach his goal in 50 days, finishing on 19 June.
Matthew explained: “I’m doing this run in an effort to raise money for Age UK both nationally and in my local area for Age UK Solihull. During lockdown they have had to cancel all of their fundraising events, at a time when they need more money than they normally would in order to provide the services of their charity. Not only have they helped my family in the past, but at a time when older people are potentially more isolated than usual their work is even more essential.”
Since the lockdown began, Age UK Solihull has been delivering roughly 500 food parcels a week to elderly people in the area. Age UK is a charity that will support many of the people in our local community and Matthew believes it is charities like this that should have equal support during this time: “It is important we raise money for the NHS during this pandemic, but I think it is just as important to help out other charities that can help make a difference to such a large portion of the population.”
Matthew would appreciate any support you could give via his Virgin Money Giving page.
