I am shaking a tin to raise money for the charity I volunteer for. Well, not a tin, I am actually running the Vitality London 10K on 10 July.

Donations support REDRESS, which is essentially a small team of talented, super-smart and (I think) quite heroic human rights lawyers.

Specifically, REDRESS gives free legal support to torture victims.

When you’ve been tortured, you have a right to legal redress. Amongst other things this means financial reparations, support for counselling, healthcare (many torture survivors are disabled for life) and mechanisms to ensure others do not meet a similar fate.

The stories of torture survivors, and REDRESS Director Carla Ferstman speaking on the charity’s work, are compelling: http://youtu.be/0be2fk6k9Iw

Righting these wrongs through justice is important for the individuals affected but also to maintain and improve international human rights standards. Torture is a crime, but without NGOs and charities like REDRESS, it can often go unchecked.

I offered my help to REDRESS’ sole Communications Officer a few months ago and was asked to take part in the run. It’s no great athletic feat (the distance is achievable for those like me who spend too much time in the pub). But the cause is just and you might think of it as sponsoring my volunteering, not a day out jogging around the capital.

Hope you can give generously and help me beat the modest target I’ve set.

Thank you for your help.

Ed

PS. If you want to add your name when donating (it is nice for me to see who has donated) then you may need to click "review and donate" then "edit" to add your name. If you prefer to be anonymous then no problem!