As most of you will know, during Christmas 2018 we lost our much loved Dad, who was taken far too early as a result of a terrible Brain Tumour illness. In the space of just 12 months, my beloved Dad went from a highly active, family leading, award winning regional volunteer to having to say goodbye with all of our family fittingly around him. 

The care he received during the later stages of his illness in the Danetre Hospital Hospice was simply amazing. Their empathy, hard work and passion for care acted as an anchor for all of our family to rely on. Making an awful time that little more bearable. It is to this hospice that I will be passing on any kind of donation that you can spare.

Dad taught us kids so much in life, but for me there are a few values that stand with me today which are massively applicable for my chosen challenge...

• Ambition – we can all set out to achieve what we want in life, both personally and professionally.
• Self Discipline – nothing happens overnight, and we must take personal responsibility and discipline to achieve our goals. 
• Hard Work – nothing beats hard work when looking to achieve the things that are important to us in life. 

I know that 2020 has been a difficult one for all of us, but if there is one thing Dad taught me, it’s the fact that we have to keep our chins up and look to create positives from any situation. This is my own personal attempt at that. 

So, at the start of the year set myself a physical challenge to raise some money for this amazing hospice. My task – run a total of 500 long and gruelling miles this year on my own! Those of you who know me well know that I’m not actually a big fan of running AT ALL (when a ball is not involved!) and so it is to this point that I turn to the values that Dad taught me mentioned above. To date I have carried out 116 runs, chugging my way to 373 miles so far – some way to go yet and all with our new little one due at the end of October!

Dad absolutely loved all things exercise, completing a number of marathons himself in his younger years, competing fiercely on the football pitch and then of course his triumphant post-retirement years on his bike. I know he’d love to be alongside me on this challenge and I hold warmth in the fact that he’s there with me as a huff and puff my way to my target. Oh, and during October I will also be throwing in the ‘Stoptober’ challenge, not drinking for this month in the name of this good cause. 

Any small donation would be HUGELY appreciated. Please check out Danetre’s website for more details of the amazing work that they do.