A BRIERLEY man will be hitting the pavements and taking to the water every day for a month to raise money for survivors of trafficking and abuse in Uganda.
James Winpenny, 49, has made the pledge to complete either a 15km walk, 5km run or 1km swim every day throughout June after hearing the tragic story of a three-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in Pakistan.
He hopes his efforts will raise £1,000 for One By One, a charity formed following a donation from Barnsley footballer Bobby Hassell in 2011. The charity works to prevent the trafficking and exploitation of women and children, operating across Africa and Asia and with fundraising offices in the UK, USA and Canada.
The charity recently announced it is opening its first Mercy Centre in Uganda, providing a place of safety and rehabilitation for children who have been trafficked. More than 200 people worldwide will take part in the Running For Mercy campaign, taking on fund-raising challenges to help fund the initial £100,000 needed to launch the project.
James said: “I was horrified when I heard the news of the death of little Mercy. No child should go through such a terrible ordeal, and I decided to do my bit to help open the Mercy Centre.
“I’m in training now and although it’s going to be tough, it will be worth the effort knowing more children are going to get the protection they deserve.”
James has supported One By One for several years and in 2022 raised £2,500 with a cycling challenge.
The charity’s CEO Becky Murray said: “We’re so grateful for James. We will be monitoring his progress and cheering him on because people like him enable us to help stop more children being trafficked.”
You can sponsor James here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/james-winpenny-1713167774381
