Sam and Pat are on the run!

My name is Sam O'Kane, I'm 18 years old and am a student currently in my first year at The University of Sheffield studying Civil and Structural Engineering. I enjoy a lot of outdoor sports such as cycling and running and also play squash at the University Club. I love football and am a Celtic fan thanks to my Scottish family, although that's been bringing more misery than joy lately!

Sam and Pat are ready for the challenge

On the 7th March Myself and my father Patrick O'Kane will be running the Haweswater Half Marathon in the Lake District for the charity Quest4Change. It is hilly course run on road and boasting beautiful scenery all the way round. It will be the first half marathon I have run and we are very much looking forward to it, mainly due to the free mug of tea at the end of it!!

The Hasewater Half Marathon is a challenging but beautiful course.

We are running for Quest4Change as we are a great fans of the work and projects they fund worldwide. The money we raise will be going towards the Villa Maria construction project in Peru which I will be working on this summer.

Over 200,000 children have had an afternoon's fun swimming thanks to Quest4Change

Quest4Change started working in Villa Maria in 1997, providing a programme of summer activities for children in the district. The aim is to give these children a focus for their free time, reducing the risk of them falling into bad habits such as drugs and crime. From the project’s beginnings offering 2 months of games during the summer holidays in its first few years, this project now provides year round workshops in sport, art, dance and music, as well as after school clubs to help with school work.

When visiting different communities within Villa Maria they saw the need for improvement in many of the houses in the area, particularly those of vulnerable single mothers. They have since managed to build 25 houses for families, giving them solid, warm, secure new homes. This is the project I am going to be working on.

Volunteers constructing new homes in Villa Maria

The money I raise and my time as a volunteer with Quest4Change is going to make a great difference to some of the families living in Villa Maria. Any donations we receive will go a long way to improving the lives of those in need. For more information you can visit my page at www.virginmoneygiving.com/samokane.

Find out more about how you can volunteering on this project.