On 14th October 2019 my family will be remembering our son’s 5th birthday.  We have only ever had one photograph of George, which takes pride of place next to his brother and sister.  There is a tranquil corner in our garden dedicated to his memory, with Peter Rabbit looking on. In an attempt by his father, partly in the hope that his son will be looking down on him with loving fondness, I have tried to take on a fundraising challenge once a year to support the amazing work of Sands.

Yet there is no escaping that our memories of George’s birth and its aftermath remain dark and distressing, having shaped our lives profoundly these last five years. Slowly we have learned to cope better with the emotional and physical scars thanks to health professionals, work colleagues, our neighbours, friends and family.

So an overweight, balding, injury prone, ale loving man attempting to run a half marathon on 13th October is not only a frightening if slightly bemusing prospect, but my attempt to say a sweaty thank you to everyone and ask you to put your hands in your pockets if you are at all able.

No time chasing, no competitive targets, just lots of suffering for a very good cause.

Peter, Georgina, Henry and Lily