Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. 

I completed the Virgin London Marathon in 2015 and met my fundraising target, but I'm still raising funds and I'm going to keep on running. I love helping children to reach their potential and it looks like I'm hooked on running!

Today, 26 April 2020, marks five years since I ran the London Marathon and although I have run a few other races in between I have not been back to the VLM start line!

Unfortunately, this year’s marathon has been postponed and I’d like to send a massive shout out to all those who were so close to taking to the roads this year for your dedication and tenacity in training and for many the added challenge of fundraising for charity.

Last year, £66 million was raised. Although the Lockdown led to the postponement of the marathon I‘m sure it cannot lock down our goodwill. This year I will join thousands of others to help continue the support provided to so many via charities by taking part in the 2.6 Challenge. Anyone can join in and do any activity that involves the numbers 2 and 6; 26 pancake flips or 26 flips on a trampoline! Then get sponsors to donate to support your chosen charity.

In 2015, those who sponsored me helped me to raise funds for my chosen charity Whizz Kidz. My aim was to raise enough for a powered wheelchair, and it was heart-warming that so many people donated individually or collectively and together we raised £2800!

I am supporting Whizz Kidz again via the VLM 2.6 Challenge 2020. I will be running 2.6 miles per day for 10 days and would appreciate if you could donate to my JustGiving page. Any amount will do. Thank you so much.

Six years ago I joined my local gym with the aim of losing weight. During my induction I found out that I could run non-stop for ... a whole 2 minutes! I was way out of shape, but not out of steam. I was a confirmed couch potato committed to conquer the plump! My initial inspiration to run came from my two children when they completed the Arsenal sponsored Centrepoint 6k run at the Emirates Stadium. That was my first time attending a run and  I thought I could do that. I later realised that was the children's only race! I wasn't put off and some time later I started running. I ran and ran... and just like in the movie; I developed a Forest Gump "go for it" attitude and I've been running ever since... not non-stop though! 

Two years later and 60 pounds lighter, I've gone from running 2 minutes to running 26.2 miles (Still not non-stop!!!. But, I did run my half marathons non-stop). I've gone from a size 20 to a 12 (See gallery below) and now I'm bored of short distances! So, I'm going to run the London Marathon (as you do when you're bored!). Seriously speaking, it is a very daunting challenge for me; going from minute-runs to a marathon. But, to me it reflects the challenge some disabled children face everyday just trying to climb out of bed. I have worked with disabled children and young people for the past 10 years and always encourage them to beat the barriers so I'm going to do my best to beat 26.2 miles worth of barriers! 

Last year I set-up Church Enabled to enable children and young people access church and enable churches to understand and support the disabled. So when I chose to run the marathon I chose to run in support of Whizz- Kidz; a national charity that aims to improve the quality of life of disabled children and young people in the UK through the provision of customised mobility equipment, advice and support. Our motto at Church Enabled is "Zero tolerance to barriers" so it's befitting that I'm supporting Whizz-Kidz a charity passionate about helping children to overcome life's barriers. 

Since Whizz-Kidz was founded in 1990, they have transformed the lives of over 18,000 disabled children. They have provided essential mobility equipment to help young disabled people to be independent. They have also run youth groups (known as Ambassador Clubs), Wheelchair Skills Training, residential camps and work placements to help young people develop and reach their potential. 

Please visit the following website, read the stories and find out how you can transform children's lives:

http://www.whizz-kidz.org.uk/meet-the-kidz

You can also donate to my fundraising page using JustTextGiving. Just text BLES77 to 70070 followed by the amount you wish to donate (£1, £2, £3, £5 up to £10). e.g to sponsor me £5, text BLES77 £5 to 70070. 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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Just an update: I completed the Chelmsford Parks Marathon (26.2 miles) on 19 October 2014. It was an awesome event organised in support of J's Hospice. it was the organiser's first full marathon and they did a remarkable job. It was my first event as well, but as I completed the course in 5 hours 57 minutes I will be looking to improve the job! Next stop London. I'll keep running in the hope that people will keep giving.

I've just completed the Cancer Research Winter Run in London. Nothing like a 10k run to warm you up in winter! 1 hour and 9 minutes . It was a brilliant event complete with polar bears! Well done again to another first time organiser! Canary Wharf run done! Another wonderful cause; running for the British Heart Foundation.

Whizz-Kidz and I appreciate the efforts of my son who is a student at the University of Kent, Canterbury. He worked tirelessly over a few months to organise a campus disco for students. It was a massive success raising £250.00. The club owners have been asking him to put on another event, but with studies as his main priority he says  he'll leave the Night club scene to the pros!

On 19 March 2015, I attended the Whizz-Kidz ambassador's Reception, It was a glamorous event on the top floor of London's City Hall! From the greetings at the entrance by an amazing youth volunteering group hosting the evening to the awesome speeches by several children and young people who are beneficiaries of the support offered by Whizz-Kids (see pics below). To sum up the evening all I can say to all those people who might think I'm a bit mad to have started running marathons at the age of 50. Yes, but my MAD means 'Making A Difference'. I'm running 26.2 miles for those who can't walk because that night showed me just how important mobility is. I have reached my official target of £2,000 before the London Marathon, but I'm raising the bar to £3,500! The cost of a lightweight mobilised wheel chair.    
                      
Thurrock's Longest School Run!  40.6 miles and 53 schools! No car and no congestion, but lots of cash! With the help of some very dedicated colleagues I organised an event that would not only raise funds for Whizz-Kidz, but also get children, young people and their families to engage in physical activity.To publicise the event I've had press coverage in the local paper and a spot in a bulletin regularly circulated to all schools.

On 26 March 2015, I ran 20.77 miles across Thurrock covering  24 Schools and a college. I will cover the remaining schools in Thurrock on the second leg of my "School Run" on 26 May 2015. A massive thanks to Ceri, Rodhri and Tom. Together we pounded the streets for just under 4 hours (3 hours 50 minutes to be precise!). Another four colleagues were back at the office packing in the pounds. In 4 hours The School-runners of Whizz-Kidz Team Thurrock raised £188.80!!! A really massive thanks to Paula, Sharon, Frank and Kim and everyone at Thurrock Council who either ran, collected donations or donated to such a brilliant cause.

On 13 April 2015, the Beautiful Bakers of Whizz-Kidz Team Thurrock held a bake sale and raffle draw. They raised £203.00. Special thanks to the bakers (Mary Berry quality!), the eaters and the spenders!!! 

Virgin London Marathon 2015 done! I thank God for the strength to complete it despite a a little issue between mile 12 -17. I had hoped to do much better than Chelmsford, but a time of 5:52:18 means we're going back to get better!!!
Thanks sooo much to everyone for the massive support along this 18 month journey from 2 streets to 26.2 miles. When I do run another marathon it will still be for Whizz-Kidz. I love the charity, love the purpose, but most of all... I love the children who deserve the change Whizz-kidz makes.