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I'm raising money for Sporting Memories in honour of my Dad, David Searle (1937 - 2010). 

Dad was an athlete all his life. He even competed on his honeymoon!! I have many fond childhood memories of going to meetings at Ilford Athletics Club with him and playing in the steeplechase water jump and the long jump pit (probably getting in the way!!). When he finally hung up his competition spikes Dad trained as an AAA starter and marksman and voluntarily started at meetings all over the south east.

Dad became the Chairman of Ilford Athletics Club in the 80's having previously been the Club Treasurer. He was also involved on the Committee for the London Marathon right from the first event in 1981, and ran the 18 1/2 mile feeding station on the Isle of Dogs for many years. My brother and I grew up watching him run and annually helping out at the Marathon by handing out sponges and bottles of sports drinks. 

Dad originally trained as an engineer with Plessey, where he designed aeroplane engines for the RAF as his National Service. He continued there until studying for a BSc and then an MSc in mathematics and he took a teaching diploma. He went on to teach maths at Emerson Park School in Hornchurch (formerly Hornchurch Grammar School) where he was also the Head of Exams trainer of the boys football team, with whom he enjoyed a lot of success, winning a tournament at Charlton Athletic in the 1980's.

Dad had a series of mini strokes shortly after he retired and sadly this led to vascular dementia. He lost the ability to speak but he always seemed happy and remained the gentle giant that his family and friends had always known him as. He used to love looking through sports books, especially athletics pictures when his eyes would light up and he had a huge beaming smile, and his Leyton Orient history book which had photos of his dad, Frank Searle (my granddad), who was Captain in the 1930's. He would stroke the photo of Granddad and it seemed to give him peace. It was as if the photos had brought Dad back to us for a while.

This is why I know Sporting Memories really can make a huge difference to the lives of dementia sufferers and their families. Dementia is such a cruel condition. The physical person is still there but sometimes it can feel as if their persona has left. The sufferer may be confused, disorientated and upset. Recalling happy events from their past can really help bring them out of themselves, even if it is only for a few minutes, lifting the spirits of the sufferer and those that love them. The Sporting Memories Network train Memory Makers who use sports memorabilia, reports and old photos in fun activities to promote well-being for sufferers of Dementia and older people with depression, loneliness and anxiety.

The charity desperately needs funds to be able to continue their work and this is why I am going to run the BUPA Great North Run to raise much-needed funds for them and awareness of Dementia support.

There cannot be a better dedication to my Dad's memory than running to raise money for a charity like The Sporting Memories Network who train volunteers to help others with the same condition he suffered. 

I had never even run for a bus before May last year and then I saw an article in the Residents Association magazine about parkrun, a free weekly 5k in the local park (http://www.parkrun.org.uk/harrowlodge/). I decided to give it a go to get back into shape after having had 5 children, and I found I really enjoyed it (I am my father's daughter after all!!). I surprised myself by how quickly my fitness improved. It hasn't been easy; like most runners I have had the odd sports injury, and some days where I didn't really want to go out training in the cold, rain, and dark, but I've pushed through it with the help and support of my local running club, Havering 90 Joggers. They have been an invaluable source of advice and training tips and I have been following a training plan that will get me running the best I ever have for the 13.1 miles of the Great North Run.

I can picture Dad next to me in his Ilford AC vest, running the race with me. I'm going to make him so proud.

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