Joggers’ Marathon man raises over £4,200 for homeless charity

All for a good cause: Angus with fellow People's Kitchen volunteers

28-year-old Jesmond Jogger Angus Miller completed the London Marathon in three hours and thirty-three minutes, raising more than £4,200 for The People’s Kitchen.

Miller is a volunteer at the charity which has supported the city’s homeless population since its founding in 1985. As well as providing hot meals, clothing and bedding, The People’s Kitchen aims to signpost homeless and vulnerable people to other support services in Newcastle.

Miller began volunteering in November because he “wanted to give something back to the community I live in”. Every Thursday he and the other volunteers head out to the railway arches where they serve hot food to their clients, or ‘friends’. Miller describes the whole experience as an “eye opener”.

His road to the marathon, however, began with the Jesmond Joggers. After selection, Miller began a “gruelling” training regime, running distances of up to 22 miles in preparation for the race. His Jesmond Jogger teammates would often join him on these runs, something Miller described as key to countering the monotony of running alone.

From there Miller decided to use his run as a way to raise for The People’s Kitchen, as it is a charity close to his heart, and one that relies entirely on donations and fundraising. He said it was the fact that people were giving their money that helped him getting through the training.

When it came to the race itself, however, Miller said “stupidly enough, I never really thought I was doing a marathon”, adding “the support was unbelievable [and] I got in my rhythm really quickly”. Despite the psychologically difficult middle-stage, Miller says he was very pleased with his time.

So far Miller’s total stands at just under £4,250, and his JustGiving page is still open for donations, for details see www.justgiving.com/Angus-Miller1.