A LOCAL Salvation Army officer completed the London Marathon as part of his efforts to support the charity’s new housing and food store community projects.
Richard Nunn has raised more than £3,000 through his online fundraiser, which will go towards two initiatives announced last year.
One of those is the Pantry Store, a community store which opened about a month ago and sells subsidised items to provide shopping with “dignity and respect” for struggling Islanders.
Mr Nunn said that 305 households had signed up so far.
“We have seen a real mix of families and individuals and there has been some really positive feedback,” he said.
“People have talked about how it’s given them the opportunity to eat more healthily, because they’ve [previously] been struggling to afford fresh produce and a range of food.”
The other initiative benefiting from Mr Nunn’s fundraiser is May Cottages – a housing project designed to support families facing homelessness.
Mr Nunn noted that this was expected to open later this year, with recruitment efforts to find a manager under way.
The funds from his JustGiving page will be split equally between the two projects.
Mr Nunn continued: “For May Cottages, the money will go into resourcing, maintenance or maybe some of the staffing costs, and then the money for the Pantry Store will probably buy food.”
He stressed that every penny raised would ultimately help Islanders who were going through hard times, adding that “any support we can get is brilliant”.
Mr Nunn’s preparation included the recent Hospice 2 Hospice Half Marathon – his first large organised race – though he has been racking up miles whenever he can.
“I’ve tried to be quite practical. A lot of my runs have been with the dog,” he explained, adding that he had been “building up gradually” and had then “tapered down” as yesterday’s race drew closer.
