Local Westminster carer Elena Rapley is going the extra mile by running the Royal Parks Half Marathon this October to raise vital funds for fellow unpaid carers in central London!
Elena looks after her Mum and started running during the first lockdown.
“I had never run till first lockdown started and I had to look after my mum day and night. I run early in morning when a professional carer comes for one hour to provide personal care and I have free hour for myself. Running became my therapy and now I feel ready to run the Half Marathon for a good cause.”
The last 18 months have been hard on us all, but particularly tough on unpaid carers who have been more isolated due to restrictions than ever before.
This year, many more carers across the country are continuing to face new challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are now 6.5 million people in the UK who are unpaid carers, many have found their caring responsibilities have increased over the last year.
Elena has already smashed her initial target by raising over £1,500 but hopes to raise even more in the coming months. With 12 weeks to go until race day, you can help Elena hit £2,500 by the time she’s on the start line. Your encouragement would mean a great deal to her and other unpaid carers.
You can help Elena’s campaign so that independent charity Carers Network can provide vital support to even more local unpaid carers like her by making a donation here:
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/elena-rapleyrpfhm202122653
If you feel inspired by Elena’s story, Carers Network is still recruiting members for their team at this year’s half marathon – so you can do something extraordinary this autumn by joining their family of fundraisers. Email [email protected] to find out more and apply.
