Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

In July 2012 I lost my Dad, Norrie McGowan, to bowel cancer. Dad was greatly loved and is sorely missed by so many people; family, friends, colleagues and everybody whose life he touched.  But i know he wouldn't want us all sitting around lamenting his passing, he'd want us to get out there and do something positive with our lives. 

Dad was a highly competitive runner in his day, running with the Hawkhill Harriers and completing the 1986 Dundee Marathon in a time of 3hrs 4mins, a feat i've only come to truly appreciate since i started my own training for the 2013 Edinburgh Marathon.  Training has been going well and every time i feel like giving up i need only ask myself "Would Dad have given up?".  He'll be with me every step of the way.

The final days and weeks of Dad's life opened my eyes to what a cruel and remorseless disease bowel cancer can be, this is why i have chosen to raise money for Beating Bowel Cancer who run many schemes to raise awareness of the symptoms and support victims and their families.

£5 could save a life by providing a patient with a "Just Diagnosed" information pack.

£10 could help 100 worried members of the public access vital online information on the symptoms of bowel cancer.

£50 could cover the cost of the online patient forum for one day allowing patients, their families and friends to share information, advice and support.

£100 could enable trained volunteers to talk to groups in the workplace, raising awareness through the Health In The Workplace scheme.

£300 could run the specialist nurse helpline for a day providing support and advice to newly diagnosed patients and their families.

With your help we can achieve all of these things and help to save lives.  I'm up to the challenge, please donate as generously as you can!

• Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

  So please dig deep and donate now.