On Sunday, Anna participated in the Homeless Action Resource Project (HARP) Spring Walk to raise money and awareness for the homeless in Southend.
Anna took part in the entire walk which began in Priory Park and went along the Prittle Brook Greenway before ending after 3.5 miles at the Belfairs Woodland Centre.
HARP is a local Southend charity which helps over 1,000 people who are either homeless or at risk of homelessness every year. They have helped to reduce the number of people sleeping rough in Southend by 89% (from 72 people to just 8) between 2017 and 2020, making Southend the 3rd most improved local authority area.
Anna joined the walk to show her support and agreed to start off the “HARP24” 24-hour relay running festival in June 2022. This will raise money for the charity by having solo runners and teams compete from midday on Saturday through to midday on Sunday, with the winners in each category completing the most relay laps of the scenic five-mile course within 24 hours, aiming to raise £50 per person.
Speaking after the walk, Anna said: “It was absolutely brilliant to be out on the HARP Spring Walk supporting a truly excellent charity and a truly excellent cause. The incredible reduction in the number of people sleeping rough in Southend is testament to the hard work of the HARP team who have made themselves accessible and able to offer meaningful support to the most vulnerable people in our community. I’m really looking forward to doing more work with HARP to further reduce homelessness in Southend and I’m particularly excited to start off the HARP24 relay later this year!”
