I did it! What an amazing day Sunday 18th April was.  I finished the Brighton Marathon in just over 5 hours, running all the way.  Brilliant sunshine, fantastic crowds and knowing I had the support of so many people, kept me going for the full 26.2 miles.  

What inspired me to take on such a challenge - and all the training in wind, rain, mud and snow that went with it - was the opportunity to help support a much-needed charity, RISE, that is doing such great work to support women, children and young people affected by domestic abuse.  I'm aiming to raise at least £1,000. So please help keep me running by sponsoring me.  

Domestic abuse isn't a comfortable subject and it's shocking that 1 in 4 women experience domestic abuse; that 2 women every week are killed by their partners or ex-partners and that 750,000 children witness domestic violence every year.  RISE is making a real difference to lives by supporting families experiencing domestic abuse and also running preventative education programmes in schools. Every year they need £100,000 from fundraising like this to maintain the services they provide.

I was really touched by some of the stories of people helped by RISE.  This one in particular made me realise what we can too easily take for granted: 'I have received so much practical help from you all that I can now live independently and plan a bright future for me and my child, and that is the most important thing to me.  Being able to see that is such an amazing feeling, so liberating and empowering, it is impossible to put  that into words. In an ideal world, there wouldn't be domestic violence; but, as the world and life are made of different values and there is obviously a lot of suffering, what makes the world such a special place is people like you.  Thank you for being as amazing as you are'.

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.

Thank you for your support.

Sue xx