After a lifetime of sporting non-achievement, I was inspired by watching the 2009 Birmingham Half-Marathon to get out on the streets and have a go at this year's event. I was one of nearly 15,000 runners who took part, and I completed the course in 2 hours 3 minutes. There's a full account of the race on our family website.

I chose to run on behalf of the Amani Children's Home in Tanzania, which offers the hope of a better life to children who would otherwise have nothing. It started as a small project, but its international support and reputation have grown over the years. It now provides quality residential care for over 90 children and outreach support to many more.

Have a look at the Amani website for more details... then have a look at your credit card, and keep it handy as you click the "Donate now" button.

It's been hard work running around the streets of Birmingham over the past year, and the race itself got very tough towards the end, but at least I have a home to go back to at the end of each session. There are too many people in the world who don't have even that. Please join me in ensuring that the streets are places for adults to run, not for children to live.

Phil Banting

http://www.banting-family.org.uk

P.S. If you are a UK income taxpayer, don't forget to enter the relevant details so that Justgiving can recover the tax paid and increase the value of your donation.