I travelled to Nepal over Christmas and made friends there who will be suffering terribly from the loss of life and widespread devastation caused by the recent earthquake. The daily reality in Kathmandu is that basic infrastructure and facilities are already scarce resources for most people. It will take years and major international support for Nepal to recover from this awful disaster.

Everyone I met in Nepal was generous, warm and welcoming. I would like to help them by raising money for the disaster relief appeal.

I am running the Hackney Half marathon in London on Sunday 9 May and I would be grateful if you would sponsor me in support of the British Red Cross emergency relief effort.