London Marathon and the Extra Mile

[p]On 22nd April I will be running the London Marathon and am seeking sponsorship to support the vital work of Shelter. I also recently ran a treadmill marathon plus an extra mile at my local Lifestyle Fitness Gym. That's 27.2 miles or 43.52km. Lifestyle Fitness helped me to promote this challenge using the strapline 'go the extra mile to end homelessness'. This helped me to share my vision that homelessness can be ended but if we are to do it then we will need to go the extra mile. I have lobbied several politicians with this message.[/p][p]Helping those who suffer from homelessness or housing vulnerability is very important to me. When I first started attending church in the 1980s I went to the Methodist Central Hall in the centre of Hull. This was a wonderful church which, because of its location and commitment to outreach, helped many homeless people. Some of my earliest Christian service was in this context. Later, as a student, I lived in the centre of Birmingham and attended the Birmingham Central Methodist Church. Again, the issue of homelessness was very significant. As a Methodist minister I served for 9 years in the centre of Middlesbrough. Most weeks this involved some kind of care for those suffering from issues of homelessness and housing vulnerability. It seems to me that these issues are becoming more challenging year by year. Shelter reports that there are currently more than 124,000 homeless children in the UK. Rough sleeping has doubled since 2010. I care deeply about this and share Shelter's commitment to work 'until there is a home for everyone'. Please help by sponsoring me. With heartfelt thanks, Martin.[/p]