An athletics charity working to give young people a path away from knife crime will be the focus of a new series to be broadcast on ITV.
Run For Your Life will feature contributions from former chairman of the British Olympic Association Lord Sebastian Coe, Dame Kelly Holmes and Daley Thompson.
The series, commissioned by ITV Sport, will focus on Track Academy, a London-based charity set up by former triple jumper Connie Henry.
It will follow Henry’s campaign to win government backing for her project, which offers help to young people in communities suffering high levels of knife crime.
A former Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, Henry founded the Track Academy in north west London in 2007.
She said: “By watching the ITV documentary Run For Your Life, the public and politicians will witness a realistic picture of the challenges faced by today’s youngsters – and charities like Track Academy.
“My hope is that this can lead to a change in the perception of sport and have an impact on young people across the country.”
It will also tell the story of Paul Barnes whose 15-year-old son Quamari was stabbed to death in 2017.
Co-producer Steve Boulton said: “At a time when we hear plenty of sound bite solutions to tackling knife crime, Run For Your Life hopes to shine a light on the challenges faced by today’s youth, viewed through the eyes of a sports charity and its founder, who have more than a decade’s experience making an impact on kids’ lives.”
Run For Your Life will air on ITV on Tuesday April 23 at 10.45pm.
