Real Life Church is a vibrant church in Sutton Coldfield that is part of the Newfrontiers family of churches. They are a growing group of men, women and children who love to meet God, be together and have fun, eat cake, study the Bible, serve the needy and see lives impacted by the power of Jesus.

This year’s Great Midlands Fun Run was held on Sunday 5th June. It has been held annually since Sunday 14th September 2003 and it is not a race – it’s a fun event for people of all ages and abilities. The Fun Run is staged over an 8.5 mile all-tarmac route, starting in Sutton Coldfield town centre and incorporating Sutton Park before returning to the finish line in the town centre.

Richard Beard, Chief Executive of the Jericho Foundation, commented “We are so grateful to the members of the Real Life Church for participating in this year’s Run. The funds raised will aid us in our ongoing endeavours to encourage people to become fulfilled, skilled and employed through our eight social enterprises”.

Melanie Crane, one of the Leaders of Real Life Church, added “16 members of our Church took part in the Fun Run and we handed out sweetie bags too! We are absolutely delighted to have raised almost £1,500 for the Jericho Foundation. We truly appreciate their work and are proud that our efforts will benefit disadvantaged people in the local area”.

The Jericho Foundation delivers high quality goods and services at competitive rates, through a range of socially-valuable and environmentally-friendly enterprises. Based in South Birmingham, Jericho gives disadvantaged people a hand up, not a hand out. They provide paid employment together with a holistic package of support, guidance and training which is tailored to their personal needs, working with a broad variety of disadvantaged people who are struggling – young people, ex-offenders, homeless people and victims of modern slavery.

These individuals often suffer from long-term unemployment, a lack of skills or qualifications, homelessness, alcohol or substance misuse, low self-esteem or lack of confidence, mild mental health problems or no history of work experience. Jericho help them to overcome these barriers while they learn on-the-job and also provide support for them to find permanent employment elsewhere.