Gem & Sylv Run a Cheat's Marathon

If we each run a half, that's essentially a full marathon... right? However we maths it, we couldn't think of a better cause to get behind for our first half-marathon.

Since moving to the Hackney borough last year, Sylvie has been volunteering at North London Action for the Homeless, serving hot meals to locals each week. This has fast become a highlight of her week, and while access to the basic provisions of food and shelter should be a non-negotiable, it's wonderful to see the added impact that creating a safe and inclusive space can have on the lives of local community members. The People’s Recovery Project has often attended these sessions to chat to people who might be in need of their services, further demonstrating how creating a foundation of support and care can positively impact, and even change, people’s lives

Gemma is a newcomer to the area, having moved to Hackney late last year and quickly fallen in love with the neighborhood. Before relocating to London, she worked at Pinterest, where she led the Corporate Citizenship team and managed initiatives to give back to the community. The Hackney Half seemed like the perfect opportunity to connect with the local community while taking on a personal challenge. She admires the work of The People’s Recovery project and hopes to raise awareness for the incredible impact they make. 

The People's Recovery Project is designed to create an alternative pathway and package of support for people in this situation to access residential treatment, co-designed and co-delivered by community members with lived experience.

• In 2023 over 1400 people died while experiencing homelessness and over one third of these deaths were related to drugs and alcohol.
• Over two-thirds of people who are experiencing homelessness have a drug or alcohol support need.
• In recent years there has been an annual increase in the number of people who are dying due to drug related causes in the United Kingdom

In the current paradigm, we know that drug related deaths in the UK are increasing and opportunities to access recovery are extremely limited for people living on the streets. However, when people are given the opportunity to access residential detox and rehab the results can be transformative for the individual concerned.

The People’s Recovery Project is inspired by real journeys made by individuals experiencing homelessness and addiction through treatment and into recovery. These examples are currently the exception and through shared purpose our community is seeking to make recovery achievable and sustainable for people in this situation.

We are building a community that has the knowledge and understanding to support people on transformative journeys and create an environment where great people can become greater people.

For more information you can visit their website: www.thepeoplesrecoveryproject.org or follow them on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepeoplesrecoveryproject/.