Hi! My name is Eilidh Smith and I'm a French and Spanish teacher currently working in Barnsley.

In 2022, I have set myself a goal of running twelve half marathons in twelve months. For those of you who know me, you will know that I have run a couple of half marathons in the past (most recently Sheffield in 2021, which I ran in an incredibly sweaty Mario costume) and I do run occasionally, but this is a big challenge for me. Committing to training for over a year (in fact, committing to anything for that length of time) is something I find difficult due to having ADHD and I am really hoping you will support me by donating to a wonderful charity that does fantastic work.

I have chosen to take on this challenge for Action for Children, a charity which helps children and families around the UK to live happy, healthy, safe lives no matter their upbringing or the challenges that they face. Action for Children help children from the early years, starting from birth, up until the age of 19. Some of the things they do include running children's centres around the UK (they have more than 100 of these centres), finding safe and stable homes for vulnerable children in care, offering short breaks for disabled children, and influencing government policy to do with children and young people. For example, thanks to the relentless work and campaigning by Action for Children, children are now recognised as the victims of domestic abuse in their own right (Action for Children report, 2019). In 2020/2021, the charity has helped over 600,000 children, young people, and their families access services across the UK. If you would like to find out more about how Action for Children supports young people, please visit their website.

Why have I chosen this particular charity? The area of Barnsley in which I work is in the top 10% most deprived areas of England and Wales (Index of Multiple Deprivation, 2019). Many of my students are in single-parent families, many of them care for relatives, and a significant number are currently in care or have been in care in the past. In addition, many children have complex family lives, behavioural issues, and special educational needs. Over the past 18 months during the pandemic, the gap between the most advantaged families and the most disadvantaged families in the UK has widened considerably and it is students from areas like the catchment area of our school that are most at risk of being left behind. Now more than ever, as we (slowly) emerge out of the pandemic, Action for Children is aiming to support the most vulnerable children and families in our society, but they cannot do it without donations and financial support from people like you. As it is a charity extremely close to my heart and its work is at the forefront of what we do in school, I would be extremely appreciative of any donations you are able to give.

Currently I have registered for the following races (COVID permitting!), and as races later in the year open for entry I will update this page with my plans and times:

2nd January 2022 - North Lakes New Year Half Marathon (Cockermouth, Cumbria) - 02:14:53

27th March 2022 - Sheffield Half Marathon (Sheffield, South Yorkshire)

2nd April 2022 - Greenwich Park 10k (Greenwich, London)

10th April 2022 - Brighton Marathon 10k (Brighton, East Sussex)

8th May 2022 - British Airways Run Gatwick Half Marathon (Crawley, West Sussex)

12th June 2022 - Run for All Hull Half Marathon (Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire)

10th July 2022 - Ilkley Half Marathon (Ilkley, West Yorkshire)

Lots of love as always, and thank you for your support! You can follow my race reports on my Instagram account (@twelveintwelveforA4C).

Eilidh x