In just one week, I will be going on the trip of a lifetime to run a marathon in Uganda.

This may on the surface seem like quite a random challenge to undertake, however, as well as it being a huge personal test, it also supports a new 'twinning' project which has been set up between Hambledon Primary School (the school I work in as a year 5/6 teacher) and Rihamu School in Kasese, Uganda. This is a community conservation project based on a partnership between Queen Elizabeth Country Park in the UK and Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. The project has three main principles: sharing, connecting and supporting. This is done through sharing best practice, experience and ideas; connecting rangers, schools and community groups to promote environmental and cultural understanding; and delivering training, equipment and advice to rangers, teachers and communities in the pursuit of wildlife conservation and environmental sustainability. As part of my trip, I will be visiting Rihamu School and meeting the children and staff. We have begun communicating with the school by writing letters and sending videos and it will be fantastic for me to gain first hand experience of Rihamu School and feed this back to the children and staff at Hambledon.

On 1st December, I will be running the marathon and I am aiming to raise money for both Hambledon Primary School (the school I work in) and Rihamu School in Kasese, Uganda (the school we are twinned with). As you may be aware, schools are under extreme budget pressures here in the UK and Hambledon has been very strained by budget cuts in the last year; in addition, Rihamu Junior School has extremely limited money and resources and just ensuring children have a school to attend can be a huge challenge in Uganda. Any money raised will be used to support and enhance teaching and learning through resources such as library books.

Alongside my personal fundraising for the schools, the 'Running the Rift' marathon itself exists to raise funds for the Kyaninga Child Development Centre, a charity which provides support for children with disabilities and their families in and around Fort Portal, Uganda. Founded in 2015, the charity has 12 specialist therapists and has treated over 900 children; they run a vital service and the Rift Marathon plays an important role in raising funds and awareness for the charity.

As you can see, I am running for a fantastic cause and any donations will be greatly appreciated. If you haven't already been convinced to donate, here's some information about the marathon to explain to you what a feat this is... Firstly, the race is 26.2 miles (42km) and I have never run this far before. In a race, the farthest I have run is ten miles, and in training I am up to 20. The race is along dirt tracks and trails and has 1664m of elevation, with the longest hill climb being 1.44km (I am used to running along the beautifully flat roads of Southsea with just a snippet of the Hambledon hills!). If the relentless hills weren't hard enough, I will have to contend with running at altitude on the equator, where temperatures can be hot and downpours sudden and heavy. Despite all of this, I am of course excited for the race, I am looking forward to visiting the school and meeting the children and can't wait to experience the beautiful country of Uganda.

Thank you so much in advance for taking the time to read about what I am doing and for your donations.