24-hour continuous relay to take place in Hereford in aid of charity supporting those who are homeless
The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness event took place in the city for the time last year and is back again for a second time
A 24-hour charity run is set to take place in Hereford today (19 September) to raise funds for a Herefordshire charity supporting those impacted by homelessness and raise more awareness of the issue.
The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness event, which is a continuous relay, will see people take it in turns from midday to complete a 5km loop through the city, starting and finishing at Vennture's hub on Vicarage Road.
It was initially started in Manchester in 2019 by a group of university students, and was held in the city for the first time last September as part of an expansion of the event.
Over 1900 km was covered and £7,090 raised in its first running, Hereford organiser, Charlie Shave, said it was key in making more people aware of the reality behind being homeless.
"Obviously every penny we can raise does help, but what's just as important is getting out there on the streets and just sort of seeing the world around you at 4am, 5am, thinking, I'm not having a nice time right now running in this temperature or in this rain but imagine being in it 24/7," he said.
"So it really is important to just sort of be out there pressing it and sharing it around as well."
Vennture's Esme Stevens added: "Homelessness is a very complex issue, there's a lot other than just not having a home to stay, there's a lot of contributing factors that unfortunately lead people to be found in those situations.
"So the way that we try and deal with it is quite a holistic approach, we make sure that we're sort of supporting that individual in many areas of their lives as well as trying to find them accommodation or somewhere safe to stay."
The Mayor of Hereford, councillor Cat Hornsey, is set to officially start this year's event, which will draw to a close at midday tomorrow (20 September).