Local Bands Feature in Fundraiser for Homeless Women

'A Mile in Her Shoes' aims to use running to inspire confidence

This Saturday (17th August) the Grange Pub in Ealing Common will be featuring three local bands in a fund raising event. They will be raising money for a new project that aims to inspire homeless women to try running as a way of boosting their fitness, confidence and self-esteem.

The event is being organised by Hanwell resident Nicola Miller who works as a PR manager for a local university. She set up a 'A Mile in Her Shoes' as a social enterprise although her plan is convert it into a registered charity as it becomes established.

The forthcoming pilot scheme will see a group of women who are currently living in shelters try running at sessions with Nicola who is a UK Athletics qualified run leader. The model is currently being developed with informal input from a well-known homelessness charity and will encourage access to further support services to address the issues surrounding homelessness.

Nicola said, “A few months ago, I approached the student enterprise team at London South Bank University (my employer - although they mostly support student entrepreneurship, they encourage staff to be enterprising too) for advice about how to develop my idea. They suggested I apply for a small 'Try It' grant from UnLTD - a social enterprise support organisation - to explore and research my idea further. I also approached the charity and am benefitting from their input and advice and I'm collaborating with one of their women's progression workers (also a keen runner) on setting up a running group for some of their female members.”

“I simply started out with a passion for running, for doing something to address homelessness (it's a cause I feel very strongly about) and an idea for a social enterprise that might bring these two concepts together and make a small difference. In the future, I'd also like to develop a line of runners' accessories and branded clothing for women runners that would part fund the project, but that's a lot further down the line from here.”

She is particularly in need of spare pairs of women's running trainers and is looking for donations. She also needs sports bras and running clothing for the first group of women who meet up in London next month.

Tickets for Saturday nights event cost £5 and are available from amileinhershoes.eventbrite.co.uk.

To contact Nicola about donations e-mail run@amileinhershoes.org.uk .

August 15, 2013