Hartlepool's Miles for Men charity reaches £200,000 milestone

Hartlepool's Miles for Men has smashed the £200,000 fundraising barrier.
Last year's Miles for Men runLast year's Miles for Men run
Last year's Miles for Men run

The charity, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, has now handed out more than £50,000 a year in good causes across the town.

The latest landmark came after a £50 food voucher was donated to a family in need in the town.

Michael Day, Miles for Men Founder.Michael Day, Miles for Men Founder.
Michael Day, Miles for Men Founder.
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Michael Day set up Miles for Men in memory of his father Michael senior, who died of throat cancer in 2007, to raise money for Cancer Research.

He had initially hoped to collect £5,000 but the inaugural sponsored run in August 2012 raised a staggering £40,000 and the charity’s future was assured.

Since then the group has expanded to stage a range of other events and support a number of good causes across Hartlepool.

Michael is amazed at the support Miles for Men has received over the last five years and delighted to have reached the £200,000 landmark.

Michael Day, Miles for Men Founder.Michael Day, Miles for Men Founder.
Michael Day, Miles for Men Founder.

“I am over the moon - we are all over the moon,” he said.

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“We did not have the faintest idea it would be so successful.

“It is amazing.”

And he paid tribute to the volunteers who make the charity’s events a reality and the members of the public who have given such remarkable support.

“It is all down to a lot of hard work by the team,” he said.

“And the public are the mainstay of the charity.

“It would not be possible without the members of the public and the local businesses who support us.

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“The gratitude and appreciation we have for them is second to none.

“They are absolutely amazing, year in and year out.”

Miles for Men has supported a range of high-profile causes, such as fundraising for Alfie Smith, who needs to raise £50,000 for an operation that will give him the chance to be able to walk pain-free and unaided for the first time in his life.

But it also supports a lot of smaller-scale causes, and Michael said the latest £50 donation was typical of the kid of work the charity carries out across Hartlepool.

“A lot of people don’t realise how much we do things like that,” he said.

To find out more about the charity, visit www.milesformen.co.uk or the Miles for Men Facebook page.