Cost of living crisis: Peterborough man running three half marathons to help elderly people pay energy bills

A Peterborough man is running three half marathons to raise money to help elderly people continue to pay their energy bills during the cost of living crisis.

Del Singh, 60, from Eastfield Road, will run three half marathons – each measuring a distance of 13.1 miles – this autumn. He is raising money for the charity Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and will be taking on the Great North Run, in Newcastle, the Great Scottish Run, in Glasgow, and the Great Eastern Run, in Peterborough.

Del was inspired to raise money to help older members of the community after he and his wife Jas delivered food parcels to elderly people living in Peterborough during Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June this year, where his eyes were opened to the impact the cost of living crisis was already having on them.

“I found it truly heart-breaking seeing how the cost of living crisis was impacting so many older people, who were eating once a day to pay their energy bills,” Del said.

"I decided that I needed to do something, so took the decision to fundraise for Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, who do so much locally to support older people.”

In June, Del and Jas delivered 70 food bags to the elderly. They had a further 25 food bags that they had not manage to give out, which they donated to Age UK CAP to distribute to people in need.

“We are extremely grateful to Del for his support and wish him every success with his running,” Beverley Young, chief partnerships officer at Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said.

"It is quite something running one half marathon, let alone three, so please support Del's fundraising for us by donating whatever you can to his JustGivingPage.

“Many people don’t realise that we are an independent local charity and not the same charity as the national organisation of Age UK. We must raise our own money to deliver our local services and all money raised for us comes to us and is spent supporting local older residents.

"By donating you are giving to your local community.”

Del has so far raised £223 for Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. You can donate to Del’s JustGivingPage by clicking here.