Law school run half marathon for Whitechapel Centre

Eight students and staff from the School of Law laced up their trainers and ran the Liverpool half marathon on Sunday 27 March, in aid of local homeless and housing charity the Whitechapel Centre.

Striding around Liverpool’s landmarks on an unseasonably warm and sunny March morning, the intrepid runners completed the 13.1miles in a bid to support the local charity that helps more than 4,000 people a year.

Law lecturer Dr Sofia Cavandoli, said that the LJMU community had chosen to raise funds for the ‘wonderful’ charity as more and more people will need help in the coming years due to increases in the cost of living.

“The number of homeless people is predicted to jump by a third by 2024 as councils warn of a ‘tidal wave’ of need caused by benefit freezes, soaring food and energy bills and the end of Covid eviction bans,” Dr Cavandoli explained. “That’s why we have chosen to raise money for the wonderful Whitechapel Centre which is a local homeless charity in Liverpool.”

The Whitechapel Centre works with people who are sleeping rough, living in hostels or struggling to manage their accommodation across the Liverpool City Region. It helps people to find and maintain a home and learn the life skills essential for independent living. Working with over 4,000 people a year, its projects reflect the diverse routes into and out of homelessness. A variety of services, in different settings, complement each other and ensure no one slips through the net of support.

The runners have raised nearly £400 to date and continue to welcome donations for the local good cause through their JustGiving page. Dr Cavandoli added: “Any donation however small will be much appreciated and can make a difference to someone's life.”

Staff runners: Muhammad Shaukat, Laura Samaroo, Matilde Ventrella, Ben Stanford, Mary Mullin and Sofia Cavandoli (owing to Covid Sofia and Ben are running the race virtually in the coming weeks).

Student runners: Kaitlin Robinson, Michael Ludden, Lauren Coxon and Martin Heumesser. 

-LJMU has previously supported the charity as one of its corporate charities, through Christmas appeals and donations made through the National Student Survey (NSS) a chosen by JMSU.