Professor Thomas Wynn from our School of Modern Languages and Cultures participated in his first ever marathon, the Brighton Marathon, raising £1,504 for the West End Refugee Service.

The West End Refugee Service (WERS) is a Newcastle-based charity that provides invaluable support to refugees and asylum seekers in Tyneside.

The North East is full of warm-hearted people, and the West End Refugee Service extends that warmth to people who really need it.

Thomas said: "The North East is full of warm-hearted people, and the West End Refugee Service extends that warmth to people who really need it. I've been donating to WERS for a year or so, and I like their local focus on a global issue. The recent scenes from Afghanistan have motivated me to raise money and awareness for the charity and their work."

Charities across the country are working overtime to support the wave of Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban after their recent takeover of the capital, Kabul, and rest of the country.

Training for the gruelling 26-mile route over the events of the last year have helped Thomas to get through the coronavirus crisis. Lockdown and the pandemic have been hard on people in so many ways, and he found that training for the race has been a release.

Well done Thomas!