Hi there. Thanks for visiting my fundraising page! To those who know me, please don't laugh at the idea of it, but I'm running the 2022 Edinburgh Half Marathon and doing so for a wonderful charity called VOCAL (Voice of Carers Across Lothian in Edinburgh, Scotland) in order to raise some cash, raise awareness, and to give something back to an organisation that has supported me extensively in my capacity as an unpaid full-time Carer for someone I care deeply about called Alex who suffers from multiple sclerosis. I've known Alex for many years having met her some 20 years ago whilst working together in New York,

Yes indeed, both me and my bandy little legs will be running through Edinburgh this May to support VOCAL. In some form or another everyone is a carer, even when we don't necessarily realise it or it isn't recognised by others. In my particular situation, I provide 24/7 care for someone with a degenerative illness. Not quite something I was expecting to do in my mid-40's, and something that has dramatically affected a lot of things including her career and mine, future financial planning, any planning at all, and a wide range of other issues. It can be physically and emotionally draining, and without the help and assistance of organisations such as VOCAL and their collaborative partners in the NHS, Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government, I'm quite sure my ability to function and cope would not be what it is. Collectively, they are in my humble opinion a shining light of best practice and indeed provide incredible support. Something I know I am very lucky to have access to. 

This is my only tangible way of giving something back to the tremendous team at VOCAL and all the professionals who have helped us so much. You likely know who you are individually, and I will make sure you are aware privately that it is you to whom I refer. Add to that, friends, family, strangers etc who have shown incredible kindness and provided a shoulder to lean on when the tough got/gets going. 

To shake things up a little, I will be arranging a number of prizes and all who sponsor me and provide their contact details will be entered into a random draw (effectively, £1 of your donation amount will be used as your entry fee for the prize draw - all money still goes to the charity). The winners of the draw will be pulled from a hat by staff at VOCAL, so rest assured I won't be sponsoring myself to have a pedicure at a fancy restaurant anytime soon. Prizes will be apportioned with an appreciation of the location of each winner, so that's the only nuance. I'll manage that, and probably like my training for the marathon, I will likely do that whilst I'm actually running if not slightly in advance. Watch this space for additional details.

Thanks for any and all support. It's all very much appreciated and all  funds will go directly to VOCAL to support their ongoing, increasing, and immensely valuable work.  

With very best regards,

Aengus

www.vocal.org.uk.