It's been a tough year. I had to drop out of Panto at Hornchurch half way through the run (over Christmas!) - and also a long contract at Nottingham Playhouse - because my Mum was diagnosed with Leukemia and, as she was living alone, she needed me with her. It meant I couldn't work for a few months.

When Mum died in March, someone suggested I contact the Equity Charitable Trust to see if they could help me to cover my rent and living costs. They were brilliant and, as well as giving me a lot of advice about carer's allowance etc, they gave me an emergency grant. They also contacted the Royal Theatrical Fund for me, who also gave me a lump sum towards expenses.

I've never considered contacting a charity before, and as an Equity member of nearly 30 years, I was fortunate enough to have had no experience or knowledge of the work they do. Their help was invaluable and it got me out of a very tight hole.

I promised to try to get the money back for them! So I'm going to run my third 10k of the year with the Spotlight 10k.

If you're an actor, married to an actor, or have ever watched an actor act, please donate. You never know if you're going to need these amazing people.