Meet Jen - our 2016 London Marathon runner

Say hello to Jen Camilletti, our London Marathon runner for 2016 who will be pounding the streets of our capital to raise money for our Live at Home schemes.

For Jen taking part in the marathon is not just about running but also about being able to do it for a charity. She chose MHA’s Live at Home schemes because it is a subject close to her heart as her 89-year-old grandmother receives help from a similar scheme in her home country of Italy.

Structural engineer Jen said: “It’s really important for older people to be able to stay in their own home and my grandmother gets help and support from a similar organisation. I know how much it means to her to have contact with people and she finds this really helpful.

“I thought that since I wanted to run the London Marathon again, I wanted to support something that is close to my heart.

“Along with the New York marathon, London is one of the biggest and the atmosphere is spectacular. You get cheered along the way and doing it for a great cause makes it even better.”

Jen’s training is going well and she aims to beat her 2015 time of 4 hours 41 minutes.

She is also being backed in her fundraising for Live at Home by her employers CWA, which provides civil and structural design consultancy services to a wide range of sectors including leisure, residential, education, health, industrial, retail, infrastructure and public bodies.

They are helping her raise fund for MHA through various activities as well as encouraging people to sponsor Jen through her Virgin Money Giving account.

As well as supporting Jen's marathon efforts CWA staff will be raising money for the charity with other activities including casual Fridays, charity breakfasts and quizzes.

CWA director Steve Wedge said, "We have close associations with MHA in a professional capacity as well as raising money for their excellent work. We are delighted to support such a worthwhile cause and very proud of Jen who we will be cheering on as she takes part in the London Marathon."

If you want to show your support for Jen, you can view her page here.

Jen will also be keeping us posted on how her training and fundraising is going, so keep checking the MHA Facebook page and website for updates on training and fundraising.