Mark Rafferty is just one of thousands of budding athletes who’ll be hitting the streets of Glasgow on September 4 for the Great Scottish Run. He’s already in training for the half marathon, and he’s decided to donate all of his sponsorship proceeds to Scottish Refugee Council. Here he explains what he’s expecting from the gruelling half marathon – and why he thinks it’s vital to support refugees in Scotland.
‘This will be my first Great Scottish Run. It’s also my first attempt at a competitive half marathon, so I’ll be approaching it with a mixture of optimism and trepidation. I expect it to be the toughest run I’ve ever done.
‘I’ve only been running for the past 10 months or so, and my original goal had been to get fit enough to run in a competitive 10k race, which I managed in May this year. Soon afterwards I decided to step up my training with a view to running a half marathon.
Deciding to raise funds for Scottish Refugee Council
‘I made the decision to use this race to raise funds for Scottish Refugee Council after I read a newspaper article earlier this year. It was all about the swingeing budget cuts faced by the Scottish Refugee Council – and it ended up convincing me.
‘As far as I’m concerned, it’s absolutely vital to help people who’ve come here looking for our protection. Refugees who arrive in Scotland having fled persecution and war at home deserve our unstinting support and compassion. And I think the fact that the government has cut funding for organisations like the Scottish Refugee Council at a time of such economic instability should be regarded as a national disgrace.
Advocating social justice and battling inequality
‘Despite these cuts, I think there are reasons to be optimistic. Scottish people are historically passionate advocates of social justice and generally opposed to all forms of inequality.
‘These ideals are synonymous with the work of Scottish Refugee Council and continue to be upheld throughout modern Scottish society. I’d hope that Scottish Refugee Council, as well as everyone in Scotland, can carry on going the extra mile for the rights of refugees.’
Visit Mark’s sponsorship page and do your bit to help
Read about Vanessa, our other Great Scottish Runner, in our news section
