Manchester 24-hour relay sheds light on homelessness plight

Marv (right) says he "just needs to go to sleep" after running 100 miles (161km)

Running on a cold dark night in a city highlights how difficult it is for rough sleepers, a man who has taken part in a 24-hour relay has said.

Marv is one of hundreds of runners who raced to raise money for Greater Manchester's A Bed Every Night scheme.

The 39-year-old said he was "ready to go to bed" after running the gruelling 100-mile (161km) challenge but homeless people "don't have anywhere to go".

The continuous relay was organised by a University of Manchester running club.

The Bed Every Night scheme started in 2018 and aimed to provide a bed for every person who sleeps rough in Greater Manchester.

'Super enthusiastic'

Frankie King from the Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity which funds it, said it was pioneering because it was "completely open to anyone, so any individual no matter their status is able to have accommodation".

She said the charity relay was fitting because running through the city centre at night meant "the homelessness issue is visible".

"I think it's really pertinent that hundreds and hundreds of people are coming and running throughout the 24 hours and raising a lot of money for an issue that unfortunately still exists," she said.

The number of participants had "completely blown me away", she said. "Everyone is super enthusiastic and really quite inspiring to be honest."

The relay began at 53two theatre at 1200 GMT on Wednesday, with the last runners completing the challenge on Thursday.

Ian, 54, from Chorlton Runners, says homelessness is everywhere and people need help

Marv, who is from Manchester Run Club and completed 100 miles (161km), said: "The last four or five laps have been extremely difficult.

"My body is ready to go to bed because we've not slept so yeah I just need to go to sleep.

"We're out running in November when it's not particularly nice. It's when winter really starts to creep in and people are at risk of dying basically on the streets.

"They have to be out on the streets all night long and don't have anywhere to go."

Hundreds of runners took part in the event in central Manchester

Ian, 54, from Chorlton Runners said he was "running out of steam" as he entered the final laps of his designated 30.

He said he was determined to push on as he was "passionate about running" and raising money for charity at the same time.

The event, held first in 2019, was created by Run Wild MCR, a social running society at the University of Manchester.

Frankie King from the mayor's charity says she is "blown away" by the number of enthusiastic runners

Run organiser Thomas Lewis said: "There's so many great social running clubs and they've all got bigger every year and we wanted to bring them all together for one event, get them all to meet each other and raise money for a good cause.

"After seeing the homeless rates and seeing the effect it had on people we chose to raise money that way."

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