A Gants Hill teenager is running one step for every homeless person in London - 170,000, the equivalent of east London to Birmingham.

Ilford Recorder: Declan said he was deeply affected growing up reading coverage in the Recorder about the homeless problem in Ilford and wanted to help. Picture: Declan PetersDeclan said he was deeply affected growing up reading coverage in the Recorder about the homeless problem in Ilford and wanted to help. Picture: Declan Peters (Image: Archant)

Throughout July, Declan Peters, 18, is going to run 5.5km every day for 31 days, (170km total) to raise money for the homeless charity Crisis.

Growing up, Declan said he was deeply affected reading coverage in the Recorder about the homeless problem in Ilford and after finding out there is an astonishing 170,000 homeless people living in London he wanted to help.

He said: “The idea of not only lacking a place to call home but also lacking things like friends and family surrounding us has always saddened me so much.”

Now that his A-level exams aren’t going ahead he decided to get back into his old hobby of running and turn it into a good cause. To contribute to Declan’s fundraiser and follow his runs, visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DeclanPeters