Aidan has always wanted to take part in a marathon and when there was an opportunity to run on behalf of Blueprint for All, a charity he has supported for the last four years, he leapt at the chance. Through his tireless efforts he has already raised over £2000! He shared with us more information about his motivation for taking part in the TCS London Marathon. 

Please tell us a bit about yourself. How did you first hear of Blueprint for All? 

Hi I’m Aidan, I’m based in London but originally from Lancashire and I work for Itsu. I first found out about Blueprint for all when, a few years back, I was reflecting on my career and the support I have had from incredible people along the way. I was searching for a way to support young people into professions where their ethnicities or socio-economic groups are perhaps underrepresented due to things as simple as not having awareness of a profession or the skills required to open the doors to get in. Blueprint for All seemed to really be doing something of note to address this holistically from working directly with the young people to give them the right skills, all the way through to linking them up with the companies or organisations that could provide them with future opportunities.  

Why did you decide to run the TCS London Marathon for Blueprint for All? 

I have actually been meaning to do a marathon for a few years now, I did start training for the Barcelona marathon before the pandemic, but it got cancelled when Spain went into lockdown (I was also definitely not ready to run it then!). It was fortunate timing when Blueprint for All sent out an email saying there was an opportunity to run for them in 2024 TCS London Marathon, it was a no brainer for me combining a charity I have supported for years with a challenge I’ve been wanting to complete for years too! 

How has your experience been with training? 

Training has been tough! I hadn’t quite appreciated how much time runners have to put into it behind the scenes on top of numerous other commitments. That said I have actually enjoyed the longer runs in particular as you get to see parts of London that you’ve never had to on foot before. 

Do you have any advice for anyone who would like to take on a challenge for Blueprint for All? 

The team at Blueprint for All create a really inclusive and warm atmosphere. They offer a chance to meet the other people who are running for the charity, as well as a WhatsApp group so we can keep each other motivated and supported. Ultimately, we’re all here to raise money for Blueprint for all, so having a plan in place for how you’ll raise the money is useful (have confidence you can raise the amount, your friends & families will find it easy to donate to a charity doing such relevant and visible work!) 

You can support Aidan in his marathon journey today by checking out his JustGiving page. 

If you feel inspired by Aidan’s journey, please get in touch to find out about how you can get involved in upcoming events by contacting fundraising@blueprintforall.org