They say if you want something done, ask a busy woman...maybe that's how I got talked into running the London Marathon !

At a time when charities are in the news for all the wrong reasons I'm proud to have recently become trustee of Kicking Off, a young charity where every member of the team gives their time voluntarily, even funding overseas trips and admin costs from our own resources. Every single precious penny raised will go directly to funding our amazing work. In just over a year we've achieved some amazing things, we've saved lives and we're looking to extend our global reach as funding permits. So what does Kicking Off do ? We use football as a means of bringing large groups of children together for the greater good. Having just returned from Ghana I've seen first hand the massive impact Kicking Off has had in a poor community and just how much difference a small amount of money can make. We invite 500 children to come and take part in a well run football tournament. Whilst there experiencing a great day of football they are all given a goody bag containing essential health and edicational supplies, a hot meal, clean water and most importantly a medical check where we deal with easily treatable but potentially life threatening issues, such as malaria, parasitic worms and untreated cuts.

Fitting marathon training into my busy life is really hard and really horrible ! I'm running in the dark and the rain, doing a lot of juggling, and hoping to finish in under 4 hours which seems like a massive challenge right now but I'll give it my best shot.

It costs Kicking Off £2,000 to fund a tournament and I'm hoping that my efforts will fund at least one.

Your support is hugely appreciated. Thank you lovely people x