A 52-year-old runner has joined Greater Manchester’s fundraising efforts to help homelessness charity Emmaus Salford provide a home for good.
Manchester-based teacher, Billy McCrindle is appealing for funds ahead of the Valencia Marathon in Spain on Sunday 7 December via online platform JustGiving.
Emmaus Salford provides a home, support, work opportunities and training for individuals with experience of homelessness. The charity’s school uniform hub and a social supermarket also perform vital services for local families in need.
Since it opened in 2005, The Fitzwarren Street-based charity has helped 775 people move on from homelessness, provided 31,000 hours of support conversations and given out 4,700 meals, clothes, shoes and lunches as part of its other community initiatives.
The lease on the Emmaus Salford’s home will expire in February 2028 so we now face an uncertain future. The charity is now in need of vital funds to continue providing a home for good.
Billy said: “It’s critical Emmaus Salford has a home. The charity gets people off the streets, gets them a home, gets them support, gets them back into employment and gets people back into life in everyday society. Having stability is your number one. If you lose that, then where do you go?”
Billy will take on the roads of Valencia despite creaky joints and toe injuries he picked up from previous Manchester marathons. As part of Billy’s training, he is running for four days each week, building up to 22 mile-runs he aims to complete in three hours and thirty minutes.
“I’ve a treadmill in the garage if it rains. My biggest challenge is finding new routes,” the Manchester teacher said, who recently moved from Altrincham to Inskip in the Fylde, Lancashire.
During his time as a teacher Billy has referred several people to Emmaus Salford for support, including one student who was sleeping in his own car while he worked and studied for a degree.
“When I come into Manchester, I see more homeless people than ever before. We are living in 2025, not archaia. We shouldn’t be in a place where people are on the street. That motivation for fundraising for Emmaus Salford and that is what will give me that push.”
Make a donation to Billy’s fundraiser online at https://www.justgiving.com/page/billy-mccrindle-1