Marathon for Ella's Home 

This Saturday (6 June) two brave women will begin running the 400 miles from Edinburgh to London in aid of Ella’s Home, a place for women who have been trafficked and sexually exploited here in the UK

‘Ella’s Homerun’ is being undertaken by Emily Chalke, 32, and Rachel Price, 24, over 16 days. The duo will average between 20-30 miles a day.

Along the route the women will be giving talks to local communities to educate and raise awareness of the issues around sexual exploitation and trafficking here in the UK.

Ella’s Home is a project of Kahaila, which runs a well loved café in London’s Brick Lane, supports several community projects. Kahaila was the vision of Baptist minister Paul Unsworth.

Also supported by BMS World Mission, Ella’s Home aims to empower women who have been affected by trafficking and/or sexual exploitation by offering safe accommodation and rehabilitative services, and is being set up to address the current challenge of the limited provision of aftercare services in the UK for women exiting trafficking and sexual exploitation. It is intended that the home opens in summer 2015.

Emily, Ella’s Home Project Director, said, 'I’ve seen the devastating impact on women when support is unavailable to them, they’ve been through something horrific and then had to suffer all over again because there is nowhere safe for them to be and to recover. 

'This tragically also includes several British women, such as one English woman who made contact with me a couple of months ago, having spent the last year on the run trying to escape the gang who trafficked her. She feels she has nowhere safe in London.

'We are taking on the challenge of this run to ensure women have a place when they need it most.'

Funds are required to ensure that the home can operate and cater to the needs of the women. Emily, daughter of Baptist minister Steve Chalke, and Rachel, whose parents Ellen and Steve Price are East Midlands Baptist Association Regional Ministers, are aiming to raise £30,000. 

They have been through rigorous training for the past nine months with physiotherapists and an endurance trainer to mentally and physically prepare them for the ultimate stamina test. They will eat hourly, and ensure a solid night’s sleep for recovery, which AirBnB hosts have kindly sponsored throughout the entire trip, each night in a different location.
 
Their epic journey will reach its crescendo on Sunday 21 June where the women have invited local communities and running clubs to join their last 5 and 10km from North London to Shoreditch Park, East London.

 

For every £1000 raised there is a celebration dance done by a number of people corresponding with the number of 1000s reached. See the celebration dances on their YouTube channel.