Rebecca Menzies has signed up to Run for Refugees – and so can you!
Blog by Rebecca Menzies
As we move well into the new year, I have still been struggling with my so-called New Year’s resolutions, which are always the usual; be healthier, exercise more, drink less wine! On top of that, being faced with the dreich and unapologetically harsh weather doesn’t really help with motivation. As a result, Friday nights are now spent safely indoors away from the threat of soggy socks. But when I received an email just a few weeks ago about Running for Refugees, I felt instantly committed to signing up. 5K seemed like a lot, especially for me, who had not done any exercise for the best part of a year, but I decided to just go for the 10K as it was a new challenge and with the cause in mind I knew it would be enough to keep my focus (famous last words, I hope not!).
As I was reading the challenge of covering the distance travelled by each individual who has to make the long and unnerving journey to Croydon to claim asylum, I thought it was a great symbol to use. This is a mammoth journey to make, given some of the situations each person has already faced. On top of that, each person fleeing persecution often has to spend countless hours and even days and nights to cross unimaginable distances. Therefore, I thought if I can run a fraction of that journey but with the intention of raising money to aid people when they arrive here in Scotland and come to Scottish Refugee Council for help, then I will do it with as much gusto as I can.
Also, since starting my new role as administrative assistant at Scottish Refugee Council my friends and family often ask me about what I do and about the issues faced by refugees and asylum seekers. I sometimes find it difficult to convey the struggles people face when trying to claim asylum and how frustrating the system can be. Signing up for the 10K not only gives me the opportunity to be part of something worthwhile, but it also gives me the chance to raise awareness.
So I am three days into my training and I will admit the second day was tough, but I just officially entered a 10K run and also set up my JustGiving fundraising page. I haven’t used JustGiving before but it was easy- visiting Scottish Refugee Council’s page and clicking the fundraising option.
To sign up for my 10 kilometres, I registered on the Edinburgh Marathon Festival (EMF) website – I was able to select the Scottish Refugee Council as my charity and post it on Facebook straight away. Now I just need to eagerly wait for my first donation and hopefully they will keep rolling in after that!
Ahead of the Run for Refugees we will be training once a month at the Glasgow Parkrun to count our kilmometres to Croydon and are working towards an Edinburgh Marathon Festival run on 24th May.
If you would like to join us in our Run for Refugees, contact kirsty.white@scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk for more information.
