On New Year’s Day, whilst probably still under the influence of alcohol, I stupidly agreed to sign up for the Eastbourne half marathon with my extremely fit and healthy PE teacher friend. 

Despite having avoided the gym, and any form of exercise for the best part of 10 months, for some reason I thought it would be a great idea to enter myself into a 13 mile race with someone who is ten times fitter than me. As my training progresses I am beginning to realise this was a mistake. 

However there's no way out now, especially as I've agreed to run on behalf of Royal National Institute for the Blind, which is MRM’s charity of the year for 2012

I'm sure everyone has heard of RNIB but like me probably didn't know much about the work the charity does or the people it helps. 

“Almost two million people are living with sight loss in the UK. When you lose your sight, you feel like you lose everything.” (RNIB)

RNIB is the UK's leading charity offering information, support and advice to almost two million people with sight loss.

The charity helps anyone with a sight problem - not just with braille and talking books -but with imaginative and practical solutions to everyday challenges. It also provides information on eye conditions and provides support and advice for people living with sight loss. 

For more information on the charity and to see first-hand how it helps people please see a blog by my colleague Jenny Crossland, whose father was registered blind five years ago.

As I’m sure you’ll agree the work the RNIB does is extremely worthwhile. So here comes my feeble attempt at a plea for help...I appreciate times are tough for everyone at the moment (apparently there's some kind of global economic meltdown going on?) but if you could spare a few pennies for those who need help it would be greatly appreciated. In return I promise I'll work harder at my training, without moaning about it, and will try to finish the race without collapsing half way round! 

Thank you,

Charlotte xxx