A CHRISTCHURCH man is putting his running skills to the test as he takes on the Virgin Money London Marathon in aid of Bournemouth charity Home-Start South East Dorset.

An experienced runner, this will be Hugh Rayner's first time running the London Marathon event.

Hugh is passionate about supporting local young people and has raised money for several local causes.

He said: “My wife and I have a young family and are privileged to have a safe and stable environment to bring our children up in.

“But I know other families aren’t as lucky. We might live in a beautiful part of the country, but for many local families, life is really tough.

“I want to raise awareness of the widespread issues of insecurity, poverty and family welfare and support local charity Home-Start which works tirelessly to help these local families in need.”

The 26.2 mile Virgin Money London Marathon takes place this year on Sunday October 3, with over 50,000 participants expected will run the traditional route around the city.

The Virtual Virgin Money London Marathon event will also be returning, after its successful debut in 2020.

The virtual event allows participants to take on the world’s greatest marathon on the course of their choice from when clocked strike midnight on Sunday October 3 to 11.59pm on the same day.

The virtual event is now sold out, but some charities like Home-Start South East Dorset do still have a few places available.

Home-Start South East Dorset supports families living across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, as well as the Purbecks and areas as far north as Cranborne and as far west as Wareham.

Since 1995 they have helped over 3,500 local families and supported over 10,000 children through a network of over 600 amazing volunteers.

Community and Corporate Engagement Manager at Home-Start South East Dorset Caroline Pope said: “Last year we saw a huge rise in families asking for our help. The coronavirus pandemic placed even greater strain on families who were already isolated, facing hardship, abuse, disability and mental health challenges.

“We continued to support families remotely throughout lockdown, but our fundraising efforts were drastically hampered by the inability to hold physical fundraising events at scale.

“We are so grateful to our London Marathon runners whose fundraising will make such a difference to the lives of local children, whose childhood can’t wait.”

It costs Home-Start South East Dorset approximately £33.25 per week to support a family with specialist one-to-one volunteer support.

To take part in the London Marathon on behalf of Home-Start South East Dorset, get in touch with the charity on 01202 574877

To make a donation to Home-Start, or to find out more about accessing their help, please visit https://homestartsoutheastdorset.org.uk/.