On Sunday 9th of October I will be competing in my first ever running event – the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon.

 

I am running for WWF, a charity which is safeguarding the natural world and changing the way we live.

 

This year is the 50th anniversary of the organization and they have achieved great things during this time. WWF’s campaign in the 1980s to help bring the golden lion tamarin monkey back from near extinction by drawing attention to the loss of its home, Brazil's Atlantic Forest – is just one example.

Although only 7% of the original forest still stands, they have helped to protect critical lowland forest habitat. And numbers of golden lion tamarin in the wild have grown – increasing from just 200 to 1,500 in 2005.

 

WWF helped bring the Amur tiger back from the brink of extinction, from just 30 to around 400.

 

And in 2009 WWF convinced the Philippines government to commit its tuna fishing fleet to using circle hooks on longlines, which could save the lives of 1,500 marine turtles every year. And when six out of the seven species of marine turtle are endangered – this is great progress.

 

The WWF-backed Amazon Region Protected Area (ARPA) programme has resulted in over 325,000 sq km (roughly the size of Germany) of new or consolidated protected areas since the programme started in 2003. That represents 34% of all protected areas created globally during that time.

 

Just £20 could help save 1000 trees in the Amazon, along with the endangered animals that live there, such as the iconic jaguar.

 

Those who know me well can safely say that I am not a runner, so as well as raising money for the WWF - this is also a personal challenge to see if I can achieve this run in 2 hours. I will certainly need all the help I can get, so please dig deep and any advice or suggestions you have – do let me know.

 

If I don’t break myself this year – maybe I’ll do it dressed as a panda next year.

 

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.