Running the London Marathon is a huge personal challenge for me and not what anyone would expect. I once told a colleague that I wanted to challenge myself and run the London Marathon. He found this hard to believe and this fast became a standing joke within my workplace. If I ate anything remotely naughty I would hear “Running a marathon Amber? You can’t even run a bath!”.

Since then, I have joined slimming world, and I’m proud to say, I’ve lost two stone. I have joined the gym and pushed myself to become better, I’ve stopped eating meat and very recently stopped drinking alcohol, I’ve totally transformed my life!. There’s no better motivation than someone telling you that you can’t.

Aswell as the personal accomplishment of running a marathon, I am extremely happy to be running for the LGBT foundation. The LGBT Foundation is a charity I am very passionate about, the work they do inspires me and is incredible!. The support that they provide for LGBT people and their families is something which isn’t mirrored in many other places. The importance of this level of support is widely under recognised, 25% of LGBT people have experienced bullying and 50% of Trans people under the age of 25 have attempted suicide. These statistics show the real need for early intervention.

My own coming out journey wasn’t simple and I accessed the service myself during Manchester Pride for support with how to come out. The advice they gave me was honest and invaluable. I know first-hand how important the service is to people like me.

This is going to be one of the biggest challenges of my entire life but running for such a worthy charity will push me to train harder and proudly complete the marathon.

Thank you for reading my story, I will be grateful for any donations you can make, Wish me luck!!!



Below is some information directly from the LGBT foundation ...

Established in 1975, LGBT Foundation exists to support the needs of the diverse range of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans. We believe in a fair and equal society where all LGBT people can achieve their full potential.Each year, we serve over 40,000 people, as well as providing information to over 200,000 individuals online. As a result, we serve more LGBT people than any other charity of our kind in the UK.Donations are made without conditions; if an event is cancelled donations are non-refundable.www.lgbt.foundation