Embrace’s child advocate Sally Simkins and her sister are joining #teamembrace in the London Landmarks half marathon in April to raise vital funds to help children harmed by crime.

Mother-of-two Sally is part of our team of child advocates who make sure children who are referred to us receive all the services they need to help them recover from trauma caused by crime.

Sally wanted to take on the challenge to raise funds to help Embrace reach more children whose lives have been devastated by crime.

She said: “My twin sons lost their father when they were six and I really struggled to find any support for them through such a harrowing time. When I heard about the work that Embrace do to support child victims of crime I decided to volunteer to get some experience of providing emotional support as I had been interested in a career change and exploring taking on a counselling kind of role. That was back in August 2020.

“I loved being involved with the charity so much that when the child advocate role came up last year I applied straight away. It’s so rewarding knowing that we are supporting children through challenging times and empowering them to a brighter future.”

It is not the first time Sally has run a half marathon for charity. In September 2020 she ran the Great North Run for Cruse Bereavement Care and raised £500.

She said: “I am aiming to raise the same if not more for Embrace. I completed the Great North Run in two hours 45 minutes but this time I’m just aiming to finish in one piece! If I beat my time then that’s just an added bonus.”

Embrace chief executive Anne Campbell said: “Sally came to us as a volunteer and enjoyed the work we do so much she applied for a job. We are very grateful to her and her sister for also taking on this fundraising challenge.”

Embrace Child Victims of Crime works with children who have suffered trauma because of crime. They may be grieving the loss of their mum, dad, brother, sister or other family member killed through crime. Some have experienced sexual, physical or emotional abuse, violence or exploitation or have been living in a home torn apart by domestic abuse. These children have had to deal with often unimaginable horrors in their young lives and agencies such as the police, social services or support charities refer them to Embrace to get the help and support they need.

To find out more about the support Embrace offers visit www.embracecvoc.org.uk.

You can also call our helpline on 0345 60 999 60 from Monday to Friday between 10am and 4pm. To sponsor Sally visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sally-simkins1 To sponsor Nik visit: http://www.justgiving.com/Nik-Net

If you are interested in joining #teamembrace on a challenge visit www.embracecvoc.org.uk/events