I am running this 10k for Place2Be. 

If I haven't bored you already about what this charity does, here is a brief summary:

Today's school children face all kinds of challenges that can throw them off course, from falling out with friends to gang culture to abuse at home. Unless they are given the means to cope, their feelings of sadness, fear and anger can easily spill over in the classroom, and in society. Poor behaviour, truancy, low academic achievement, exclusion, drugs, alcohol, teenage pregnancy - can all be the consequence of leaving children's problems unaddressed.

Over 90% of young offenders had a mental health problem as a child.

The Place2Be works inside schools to provide emotional support and nurture troubled children. By giving children the chance to explore their problems through talking, creative work and play, P2B enable them to cope now and make better-informed decisions about their lives - and help prevent more serious mental health and behavioural problems in later life. 

When children are happier and less preoccupied with problems, they find it easier to learn and so their educational chances are much enhanced. 

Finally, should you choose to sponsor me, here's what your pennies can do...

* £7 will support one child in a Place2Talk session;

* £50 contributes to the training of the volunteer counsellors who provide direct counseling to vulnerable children;

*£94 is the overall average cost of providing P2B service to one child per year;

* £500 will buy all the toys & equipment for the P2B room where children can explore & deal with their feelings through creative play 

(FYI £62,500 of public money is spent on individuals with a conduct disorder by the time they're 28.)

SO! This is something I feel strongly about (yes, I know, I work for them!) - and if you have any sheckles left in your piggy banks after the recent wave of sponsor-requests, and before you go on your luxurious 5* summer holidays, spare a thought for the children...

Thank you!