Paul Monan is running the London Marathon
Paul Monan
My Story
On Sunday 22nd April, I’ll be donning my Charlton shirt and setting off not too far from The Valley as I take on the London Marathon for a couple of incredibly worthy causes – The Creative Circle Foundation and PNH Support.
It may seem a little greedy running for two charities, but both causes are close to home – one personally, the other professionally - so let me explain what they are...
Firstly, The Creative Circle Foundation is a free school that’s been set up by the Creative Circle to help improve diversity in the UK creative industries. For two years, I had the pleasure of working with Jeremy Green and the Creative Circle team. Over those two years I saw Jeremy’s dream of opening a free full-time school to help people from diverse backgrounds get into the creative industry come to life.
The school will cater for 15 students and begins term in September 2018. It’s an very important initiative that will help young creatives from non-affluent backgrounds break into a London-centric, who-you-know-not-what-you-know industry.
Secondly, PNH Support is a wonderful support group for sufferers of an ultra rare blood disease called Paroxsymal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria. Unfortunately, PNH struck our family late last year when my younger sister Kate was diagnosed with the disease.
Until Kate was diagnosed, I’d never even heard of PNH, let alone know what it was. Essentially, it’s a condition in which blood cells are vulnerable to being attacked by the immune system and is something that Kate will need treatment for - for life (god bless the NHS).
I’m sure she won’t mind me sharing details but it struck midway through her final year of a uni, slap bang in the middle of dissertation time. She’s slowly coming to grips with it and has a brilliant support network in PNH Support that she can tap into if she ever needs advice or someone else to talk to. I went along with her to a session last year and it’s a fantastic group of people who deserve all the support they can get – it’s a tiny charity, with few sufferers so traditional funding methods are in short supply.
Each and every day, Kate’s attitude and ability to deal with PNH makes me proud, which is why she will inspire me each and every step along my marathon path.
So they are the two incredibly worthwhile reasons that you’ll see me trotting around London in a Charlton shirt on April 22nd, having made the pledge to raise as much money as I can for them (the final pot will be split 50/50).
Hopefully you can help out both causes by donating a few quid.
Cheers, Paul.
You can find out more about The Creative Circle Foundation here: https://creativecirclefoundation.co.uk/about-us
You can find out more about PNH Support here: http://www.pnhuk.org/forum/index.php
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Target
£2,500
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Raised so far
£2,522
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Number of donors
87
My Story
On Sunday 22nd April, I’ll be donning my Charlton shirt and setting off not too far from The Valley as I take on the London Marathon for a couple of incredibly worthy causes – The Creative Circle Foundation and PNH Support.
It may seem a little greedy running for two charities, but both causes are close to home – one personally, the other professionally - so let me explain what they are...
Firstly, The Creative Circle Foundation is a free school that’s been set up by the Creative Circle to help improve diversity in the UK creative industries. For two years, I had the pleasure of working with Jeremy Green and the Creative Circle team. Over those two years I saw Jeremy’s dream of opening a free full-time school to help people from diverse backgrounds get into the creative industry come to life.
The school will cater for 15 students and begins term in September 2018. It’s an very important initiative that will help young creatives from non-affluent backgrounds break into a London-centric, who-you-know-not-what-you-know industry.
Secondly, PNH Support is a wonderful support group for sufferers of an ultra rare blood disease called Paroxsymal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria. Unfortunately, PNH struck our family late last year when my younger sister Kate was diagnosed with the disease.
Until Kate was diagnosed, I’d never even heard of PNH, let alone know what it was. Essentially, it’s a condition in which blood cells are vulnerable to being attacked by the immune system and is something that Kate will need treatment for - for life (god bless the NHS).
I’m sure she won’t mind me sharing details but it struck midway through her final year of a uni, slap bang in the middle of dissertation time. She’s slowly coming to grips with it and has a brilliant support network in PNH Support that she can tap into if she ever needs advice or someone else to talk to. I went along with her to a session last year and it’s a fantastic group of people who deserve all the support they can get – it’s a tiny charity, with few sufferers so traditional funding methods are in short supply.
Each and every day, Kate’s attitude and ability to deal with PNH makes me proud, which is why she will inspire me each and every step along my marathon path.
So they are the two incredibly worthwhile reasons that you’ll see me trotting around London in a Charlton shirt on April 22nd, having made the pledge to raise as much money as I can for them (the final pot will be split 50/50).
Hopefully you can help out both causes by donating a few quid.
Cheers, Paul.
You can find out more about The Creative Circle Foundation here: https://creativecirclefoundation.co.uk/about-us
You can find out more about PNH Support here: http://www.pnhuk.org/forum/index.php