Thanks for visiting my page.

The other day I was thinking, "how can I raise money for such a worthwhile cause?" and came up with the idea of running a marathon. This was shortly followed by "don't be an idiot, you run about once a month". So I reached a compromise......Marathon in a Month! This is a middle ground between my running aspirations and my lacking fitness levels.

To raise money for the Freedom Programme I am going to run the distance of a Marathon (26.2 miles/42.2km) over the course of July.

The Freedom Programme is a project which aims to provide support and information to victims of domestic violence.

The aim of the 12 session course is to help the victim make sense of what has happened to them, and reduce any guilt, self-blame, or negative emotions related to the experience. This is done by supporting victims to look at the roles played by attitudes and beliefs on the actions of abusers, and the responses of victims. The Freedom Programme also examines how children are affected by being exposed to domestic violence and, very importantly, how their lives are improved when the abuse is removed.

The programme usually lasts for 11 or 12 weeks and is FREE, therefore relying on kind donations to keep it running. One of my colleagues is setting up a new programme in the Bournemouth area and needs to purchase the course books that go alongside the programme. She has already paid out of her own pocket for the training to run the sessions, and will run the groups as a volunteer.

Donations will go towards purchasing these essential materials, and will allow the group to stay free. Your money will enable as many victims of domestic violence as possible to attend the sessions and get the support they need to recover from the impact of domestic violence.

Thank you for your time and for any money you decide to donate.

#marathoninamonth (for all you cool social media types)