A former pupil of Kings School in Tynemouth is putting on his running shorts to complete his very first marathon and it’s all for a very good cause.
Angus Miller, (28) runs with his local ‘Jesmond Joggers Running Club’ and was lucky enough to be picked out of the hat to secure a place for his very first marathon; the London Marathon.
Angus has chosen to raise funds for The People’s Kitchen, as it’s a charity that is very close to his heart. Every Thursday night, Angus volunteers with the Night Outreach team preparing food to take out onto the street to Newcastle’s vulnerable and homeless people.
Angus helps to distribute food and clothing and talks and listens to the “friends” of The People’s Kitchen. His work has opened his eyes to the difficulties many people in Newcastle face and made him appreciate his own situation in life at the same time, it’s given him the determination to raise much-needed funds so that the work can carry on.
“I know how lucky I am to have a lovely home with access to running water and heating, and the support of a loving family. Things many of us take for granted. I’ve struggled to find a long-term job myself, so I can appreciate the difficulties faced by others and realise how easy it would be to slip into their position.
“With the serious economic problems that we are facing I wanted to give my support to a charity that provides help and support to the homeless and vulnerable people of Newcastle. “
So far, Angus has raised more than £2000 and he hopes to finish Sunday’s marathon in just three and a half hours.
One supporter of Angus is his team leader at The People’s Kitchen, Toria Harrison.
“ To us, older volunteers on the Thursday night team, Angus embodies all that is good in the youth of today. From the moment he joined our team he couldn’t do enough to help. He’s never missed a shift, he’s loyal, totally dependable and passionate about The Kitchen.
“Volunteering at The Kitchen has totally changed his outlook on life and he talks passionately about our work to everyone he knows. Angus has been enlightened and inspired by the work of The People’s Kitchen and he wants to do his best for a local charity that he thinks is just amazing. In turn, we think that he is just amazing too and we wish him well on Sunday.”
Angus’s justgiving page is www.justgiving.com/Angus-Miller1