Glasgow man set to run London Marathon in support of poverty charity

A man from Glasgow is running the London Marathon in support of poverty charity Turn2us. Ali Wright from Clarkston will run the Marathon, which covers a 26 mile course across London, on Sunday, the 23^rd of April. He chose to run for Turn2us after hearing about the millions of people that the poverty charity supports each year, and has already raised almost £800 for the charity.

Turn2us helps people identify and access welfare benefits that they are entitled to, and grants that they are eligible for, as well as giving direct grants itself, including through the Edinburgh Trust which provides grants to people living in the City of Edinburgh who are struggling financially. With so many people in the UK struggling to make ends meet, rising numbers of people are seeking its help. Over 80,000 people called its helpline last year, while over 1.5 million welfare benefit calculations were undertaken on its website and it gave £3 million in grants in 2016.

Ali works as a user-interface developer for CGI, who donated hundreds of pounds in support of him. He decided to run the marathon for Turn2us as he is very concerned that so many people in the UK are often forced to choose between heating their homes and eating food, or who live in homes without cookers or curtains because they are unable to afford them.

Explaining why he is running the marathon for Turn2us, Ali said: “I’ve been a keen runner for a number of years, and have taken part in several challenging marathons, including a couple of ultras!

“I decided to run for Turn2us because I've been touched by the many reports of poverty happening all around the UK, and wanted to help do my bit. I'm aware from a personal experience that it is not easy to know what you are entitled to. Poverty can happen when you least expect it and you need access to good information – fast, which is where Turn2us comes in."

Thanking Ali for running the marathon in support of Turn2us, Micky Forster, Fundraising Officer at the charity said: “We are so grateful to Ali for running the marathon in support of the charity. He has put so much time and energy into training and fundraising, and then running the Marathon. The money that he raises will go far in helping us fight poverty.”

Ali has been training every week since the start of the year and feels ready to embark on this huge challenge. You can make a donation to support him on Ali London Run Justgiving page

You can find out more about the work of Turn2us at Turn2us.org.uk, where you can also access its Benefits Calculator and Grants Search