WATCH: Brendan's African coast to coast run for Friends of Mulanje Orphans

A running ambassador will be putting his skills to good use by sprinting along the coast of Africa to raise funds for a school hostel.
Brendan Rendall with villagers in Malawi in 2016Brendan Rendall with villagers in Malawi in 2016
Brendan Rendall with villagers in Malawi in 2016

Brendan Rendall will be starting his 4,000km journey on June 1 to help build a boys hostel for Friends of Mulanje Orphans (FOMO), a charity set up by Keith and Mary Woodworth from Walmer Bridge.The 39-year-old, who works in special needs provision for Manchester schools, first began raising funds for the charity after he visited the FOMO site in Malawi in 2009.

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In 2016 he set a challenge to raise £35,000 to build an arts and science block to extend the existing secondary school in Mulanje, by running the length of Malawi.Now he wants to so more and has set his sights on raising £75,000 for boys accommodation.

Brendan Rendall with villagers in Malawi in 2016Brendan Rendall with villagers in Malawi in 2016
Brendan Rendall with villagers in Malawi in 2016

He said: “On the back of the Malawi run, I still wanted to do more. FOMO has a girls hostel, so now we need to fund a boys block. “We have the ground ready to build the hostel, so we just need to raise the funds.“My challenge will involve running from Namibia, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. “My route will take me through FOMO’s site, which I am really excited about and I’m sure there will be a huge party. “I aim to do the route in three months, visiting schools and camping along the way. “Malawi is close to my heart. I see directly where the money is going and how it is changing vulnerable children’s lives.“We believe education is the key to helping these children out of poverty. The boys hostel is a natural continuation of the arts and science block, just as running coast to coast is a continuation of my Malawi run.“The hostel will give 88 children a secure home whilst they are at school.”

Brendan, who lives in Salford Quays, was named Trail Running Ambassador for #Run1000miles in 2018 and won both Sporting Hero and The Gold Award at the Somerset I Believe Awards where he is originally from.

He added: “I am not a trained athlete but I want to show how we are capable of so much more. With the right passion and drive we can all do this.”To make a donation visit http://www.brendanrendall.com or http://www.fomo.co.uk.If any businesses would like to sponsor Brendan and have their name and logo on a FOMO team truck, they should email [email protected].