Fundraising Update!

On 23 May, as part of a bit of a two-for-one deal to help inch my way towards my fundraising target, I ran the Coventry Half Marathon. I completed the 13.1 miles around the hilly city in 1 hour 58 minutes exactly, some 6 minutes better that the last running of it in October despite temperatures in excess of 10 degrees warmer and probably the the warmest day of the year so far! Please continue to sponsor me generously and help the NCT to support people to be the parents they want to be (read more below) - thank you.

Whilst I was running the half marathon, Tobias ran the Mercia Mile - a mile around Coventry City Centre - an absolutely superb effort and left his aunt trailing - he's very pleased and we're very proud of him!

*************************************************************

LonDONE - as the t-shirt says - on 25 April I ran 26.2 miles in 4 hours 25 minutes and some seconds, much better than last year's 5 hours and 5 minutes; the extra training paid off, yay... A fantastic day - fantastic crowd, fantastic atmosphere - inspiring and enthusiastic runners (despite the early rain!), brilliant... Very pleased with the achievement.

I ran in aid of the NCT (the National Childbirth Trust); the NCT are an amazing charity that support people through the incredible life changing experience of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood – helping them to be the parents they want to be – see www.nct.org.uk.

Please continue to support me and make a donation now - every £2 really does count! £2 covers the cost of professional support with breastfeeding through the NCT's breasfeeding line, whilst £40 will help a parent gain confidence through the support of an NCT Early Days course...

*************************************************************

Fundraising Update!

Local Businesses in Southam, Warwickshire, are actively supporting my marathon campaign. The wonderful people at A & J Saddlery and Country Clothing; Preens Beauty and Holistic Centre; Reynolds Insurance; Southam Budgens; Southam District Advertister; and Southam Financial Services have all made donations or donations in kind to help my fundraising. They have my sincere thanks; please also help them for helping me by remembering them when you need the various services they provide; thank you!

**************************************************************************************************************************

Training Update!

On Sunday 14 March I run the Silverstone Half Marathon, I finished well within my two hour target time at 1:51:48, knocking just over 12 minutes off my personal best - read more about my London Marathon Journey on my blog at http://www.realbuzz.com/blogs/u/Andrew_/andrew-s-2010-london-marathon-journey/

*************************************************************

After taking part in the 2009 London Marathon I couldn't resist the temptation to take part again and try to better my finishing time whilst raising more money for the NCT.

As the father of three boys I know that becoming a parent is a life-enhancing experience, but it can also be challenging and sometimes stressful! The NCT is the UK's leading charity for parents; every year it supports thousands of people through the incredible life changing experience of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood through providing information, helplines, antenatal classes, breastfeeding counselling, postnatal groups and much much more to help them to be the parents they want to be!

The NCT also campaigns to achieve positive change for parents both in their local area and through lobbying governments across the UK to make a difference for all parents - see www.nct.org.uk for more information.

So please dig deep and donate now - every penny really does count: just £2 will cover the cost of professional support with breastfeeding for a new parent through the NCT's breasfeeding line, whilst £40 will help a teenage parent to be a confident parent by giving them the support of an NCT Early Days course.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Many thanks for your support.