Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

At the end of April 2012, at the age of 32, I took up running.

Before this I could count the number of times I had run anywhere on one hand. I'm by no means a natural athlete.

Since then this running lark has become rather addictive. I've already competed in four 10k races (coming in 29th place out of 427 runners in my latest race) and finished my first half marathon in October in a time of 1 hour and 47 minutes. In the process, I've lost nearly five stone and become a new person.

When Jigsaw offered me the opportunity to take part in the London Marathon, I said 'yes' straight away. It is an iconic event and Jigsaw does such important work with children and young adults with autism.

I'm very proud to be representing them at the London Marathon, my first attempt at the full marathon distance, where I am targeting a time of 3 hours 45 minutes.

I don't often ask the people I know for charitable donations, but on this occasion I'm making an exception. Please give what you can to help me reach an initial fundraising target of £1,000. I'm sure that every penny you donate will help me keep my legs moving once the fatigue sets in during training and on the day!

Your donation will help fund the important work done by Jigsaw to improve the lives of those affected by autism through the provision of high quality, accessible, educational and wellbeing services.

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.

So please dig deep and donate now.