I'm running the Great North Run for #TeamStroke. I have family members whose lives have been cut short or have been seriously affected by disability after a stroke. I am celebrating my 60th birthday this summer and want to mark the occasion by running my first half marathon and raising funds for the Stroke Association.

There are over 1.3 million stroke survivors in the UK, with 100,000 strokes happening in the UK each year. That's one stroke every five minutes. Money raised from this event and will help to provide vital services, campaign for better stroke care and fund research into preventative and rehabilitative treatments.