Cafe India owner to take part in Great North Run for eleven years in a row

Noor Ahmed, the owner of Cafe India on Ocean Road, is set to take part in the Great North Run 2023, in what will be his 11th year in a row.

Since first taking part in the Great North Run in 2012, Ahmed has run the Great North Run every year since then and has raised money for various charities including Cancer Research.

“Every year I try to raise money for a different charity,” Ahmed explained.

However, this year he is honouring his late father’s memory, raising money for The Abdur Rouf Foundation, a charity which has been set up in his father’s name.

Money raised for the foundation will go towards free medical aid, fresh water, housing and education, to be set up in the small village of Saidpur in Bangladesh.

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Ahmed hopes to raise a target of £500, and has set up a JustGiving page for donations, where he has explained why the charity is important to him, and what it will do for the people in Saidpur.

He will also be hosting a charity fundraising dinner in Cafe India, which will be held on Wednesday, September 6. The event which will start from 6pm, will offer a £20 set Indian menu, with live music entertainment. All proceeds from the charity fundraising dinner will go towards The Abdur Rouf Foundation.  “It’s already fully booked!” Ahmed explained.

Ahmed will be working in Cafe India in the evening after the half-marathon from Newcastle to South Shields. “My customers say I’m crazy for working all night after the run,” Ahmed laughed.

For the Great North Run 2023, Ahmed will be joined by his niece, who is taking part for the very first time to also help raise money for The Abdur Rouf Foundation. “We have been training every week together”, Ahmed explained.

To donate to Ahmed, please visit his JustGiving page.