Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Hi There!

This is my first marathon running event & I'm supporting the fantastic work of the charity 'Dramatic Need'. Their volunteers in South Africa & Rwanda provide arts, music & film-making workshops to rural schools and underprivileged communities. They work with children, helping them come to terms with the difficulties they and their communities face, such as poverty, violence and HIV/AIDS. 

Dramatic Need gives children the opportunity to express themselves and have an outlet for their feelings, frustrations & anger, away from drugs and violence, where illiteracy & poor education are not obstacles to success. Using creative expression has had amazing results: fostering social development, conflict resolution, gender empowerment and assimilating health messages for these children & their communities. 

In 2010 Dramatic Need built a fabulous community arts centre in Viljoenskroon/Rammolotsi, giving underprivileged children & adults greater access to creative arts education. They also hosted the 'Children's Monologues' event: where the testimonies of children facing incredible, adult-sized burdens, written up with the support of Dramatic Need writing workshops, were performed both in the UK at The Old Vic theatre and in South Africa at the Mphatlalatsane School Hall simultaneously on November 14th 2010. All of us that attended the UK event were incredibly moved by the bravery and tenacity of the children and their fighting spirit in facing challenges that most of us will never have to face ourselves.

Please donate whatever you can to support Dramatic Need's absolutely wonderful work and please visit www.dramaticneed.org and dramaticneed.tumblr.com to see for yourselves what they are all about.

You can also follow me on Twitter on @thepotatofarmer

thanks!! emmiex

WHAT CAN YOUR MONEY DO?

It can buy paints, pencils, musical instruments, paper, crayons, etc for use in Dramatic Need's arts workshops. 

It can provide vital transport in rural & underprivileged communities: getting kids to schools & getting volunteers out to teach them.

Dramatic Need's great 'ARTS ADOPTION CAMPAIGN' allows you to 'adopt' various supplies that will be used in DA's work.. everything from 'Adopt a Paintbrush' for £5, dance shoes for £10, a radio for £20, a guitar for £25, right up to a sewing machine (£300) or even adopting a stage (£1000) or a music room (£2000). 

You'll also be supporting the volunteer workers in DA's projects in Africa, helping to fund their vital work with children.

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO VISIT www.dramaticneed.org TO SEE JUST WHAT YOU CAN DO AND WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED WITH YOUR MONEY

thanks! emmiex

 

friday 4th february

Hi there! Chilly, wet day in Brighton...Booo! So it's swimming today for me. Just done a great Skype chat with Dramatic Need's Shannon Brinkley and I'm on their tumblr page (dramaticneed.tumblr.com) today..It's strange to see myself out there on the web!

tuesday 8th february

Hello! Just had a fabulous training run with Sean (my trainer & running partner). Beautiful sunny, crisp & clear morning in Brighton. We struck out from the Prince Regent Swimming Complex, down onto the seafront and out along the Esplanade towards the Hove Lagoon. From there, we wound our way around Shoreham Power Station- a bizarre, almost alien sight but also strangely peaceful and pictureseque. Once we got back to the Palace Pier, we carried on towards the Marina before trotting back to our starting point. We passed the time chatting about Marathon training issues and how we can keep motivated. After that, I had to shoot off to my guitar lesson and tried refuelling with a soggy & not very pleasant bread pudding..yuck! Seeing donations appearing on this page is really great & gives me that 'kick up the b*m' that I really need. So...ONWARDS AND UPWARDS, or at least forwards! It's also great to see my interview with DA's Shannon Brinkley at dramaticneed.tumblr.com  so please check it out!   Emmiex

friday 11th february

Well, it's another wet & dreary day in Brighton, so it was a treadmill day today! Feeling a bit fragile after a day of celebrating yesterday: I graduated from The University Of Brighton and had a fab dinner afterwards with friends...with a fair amount of wine. So this morning I was not keen to get up & out to run, and the weather was adding to to my reluctance. But I gave myself a stern talking to & had a good quick run on the treadmill. On nightshifts this week but next week I'll be out on the Sussex Downs getting some hilly (and no doubt, muddy) runs in. Hoping to drag a friend in, who's also running on April 10th and feels that her training's been a bit lacklustre. 

friday 18th february

Well, I'm really excited to see that people have donated a total of £300! It's such a boost to know that I'm going to be able to help Dramatic Need do some really great work. It's the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon in Brighton this sunday (20th) and I'm looking forwards to using this as a training run. I've got several friends running too & we're all jollying each other along, especially as it's usually a dead cert that the weather will be wet & windy!! Once I've finished, I'll post some pictures, so you can have a good laugh at my dishevelled, sweaty and weary self!

sunday 20th february **brighton half marathon**

Howdy! Today was the Brighton Half Marathon: a lovely rain-free, wind-free slightly chilly day (unlike last year!). As always, the atmosphere & crowd support was tremendous and much welcomed by all us runners, it gives you such a lift when you're flagging to have people clapping & cheering you on. The route gave us some wonderful views- when you could remember to take time to look- out over the sea and the Sussex Downs, as well as past some of Brighton's most famous landmarks (the Palace Pier, the West Pier, the Pavillion). Many people were running for charities and although for this race I was not sponsored, I was wearing my Dramatic Need t-shirt with pride and I hope it piqued some interest and leads someone to seek out DA's website and maybe even sponsor me! I met friends (both runners and spectators) on the way and was met at the finish line by my best friend..who took the sweaty and flushed photo of me you see above: NOT my best look, but certainly a happy and relieved one. I'm really excited to see that I'm approaching the £400 mark for donations; I hope that your generosity will help my get to (or even exceed) my £500 goal- it would mean a lot to me and to Dramatic Need, but more importantly it would mean a lot to the children that DA helps in their fantastic work. So- ONWARDS AND UPWARDS TO THE MARATHON!! emmiexx

thursday 24th february

Well, it's only 6 weeks to go to the big day! The weather has been a bit up & down this week but tomorrow looks like a sunny one...I'm glad because it's a long training run in the morning. I'm feeling a mixture of excitement and dread when thinking about the marathon, but mainly I'm looking forwards to it. Anyway, it's only six week to get to my £500 target...I hope you'll help me get there! emmiex

wednesday 2nd march

Amazing! Have just passed the £500 mark..thankyou so much to all my generous sponsors!

wednesday 9th march

Well, it's just about a month to go & I'm feeling the pressure. I'm writing my blog from work tonight- I'm on the nightshift in Intensive Care and I've got a few (rare) free minutes. Just my luck that my running partner has been struck down with groin strain (!!) this week & so I've got to run alone. It's always so hard to motivate yourself to get out of bed at the crack of dawn and get on your running gear, but this week I'll be having to do a nightshift, get up in the afternoon & run before the next shift...ouch! Having said all that, I am really cheered by the fabulous generosity of people who've given money to me for Dramatic Need: I'm hoping that the next 4 weeks will bring some more! Having a goal to aim for always helps when training, and it's certainly keeping me on my toes. I've got another 2 weeks training before the taper off to the big day..... I'll keep you posted on how things go.Emmiex

wednesday 9th march

In the middle of nights this week so runnings' a bit troublesome! Got home @ 9am from a busy shift in ITU and grabbed a few hours' sleep. Up @ 13.30 & went out for a nice 13miler today along the seafront out to the crazy space-age wasteland that is Shoreham Power Station. It was windy on the way out which is always fun to run against! and once I got to the Power Station I found that the bridge over the basin was closed...so I had to turn round and run back the same way! But the good thing was having the wind at my back on the way home. I don't normally run in the afternoon, so it was a strange experience to see all the people going out for lunch, shopping and doing normal stuff, whilst I was puffing along! Once I'd finished, I had a breathless coffee/cake refuelling combo (that's MY excuse, anyway!) and then strolled into work, took a quick shower and then got ready for another night of work! The weather is likely to be fairly rubbish this week..so I'll be enjoying all my training runs, no doubt. emmiex

wednesday 23rd march

Goodness me! only a few weeks to go til the big day!! So now I'm winding down the training and enjoying the 'taper'... It's about rest, massage & carb loading from now on: which is NOT an excuse for sleeping and eating peanut M&Ms. The nice weather this week has made me hopeful for a sunny day on april 10th: sunny but not too hot, and hopefully not windy. I've been so cheered by everyone's generous donations to Dramatic Need and also to DA's support to me throughout the whole process...I can't wait to see the final total and also get the 26miles over and done with! The next few weeks will be the last chance I get to squeeze a bit of money out of people for this great cause, so I'll be going all out til then! emmiex

thursday 24th march

Ha ha ha! My race number's come out backwards (see the new photo above)...Just in case you can't work it out, I'm 9166! And along with a backwards number and a case of nerves as big as a house...I've got a prize case of athlete's foot! Guess this means I'm TRULY an athlete, then. Everyone's asking me how the preparation's been going...well, it's been up & down, good & bad but nonetheless an enjoyable experience and something that's not just doing me a bit of good (healthwise) and giving me one of the biggest challenges of my life, it's doing- I hope - a huge amount of good for the children who are supported by Dramatic Need. I know that people who'd never heard of it's fabulous work have had their eyes opened to a really worthwhile cause, through supporting my run and I've been really moved by the generosity of both friends and strangers. Tonight, I'm about to enjoy a lovely night out with a good friend..we're off to see the 'NT Live' screening of (supporter and trustee of Dramatic Need) Danny Boyle's production of 'Frankenstein'. It'll be my 'last hurrah' in terms of junk food & alcohol, as from now on it's carbs, proteins and careful eating all the way (boooooo). And to top it all, it's my 41st birthday exactly 1 week before the marathon...so the popping of corks & eating of cake's going to have to wait til i get over the finish line. If you're around in Brighton on April 10th, come down to the seafront and watch me and the multitude of other crazy souls sweat, stagger and crawl our way round! So from now til then, it'll be steady as she goes......emmiex

saturday 9th april

Oh my goodness! it's less than 24hrs until the marathon! Well..I'm probably as ready as I'll ever be: I've loaded up on pasta & porridge, my race bag is packed, my running gear is laundered and ready. I've just finished work yesterday morning and I'm spending the evening relaxing on the sofa, watching DVDs. I'll be having a warm bath tonight & a hot milk before an early bedtime (livin' life in the fast lane!), then I'll be up early for a final porridge feast before I go. Tomorrow, there's going to be about 13000 runners and the weathers' due to be sunny and warm: much as I'd like a chilly day, I'm happy it's not windy/rainy/freezing- I've certainly raced in those conditions, and it's miserable, so I face 26miles of weather like that! I'm absolutely blown away by everyone's donations....hopefully there's still a few more to come. When I'm feeling worn out, aching and sweaty tomorrow, I'll be thinking of your generosity and what it means to DA and I'm sure it'll spur me on. I'm looking forwards to updating this page tomorrow, when it's done & dusted. For those of you coming to Brighton, or who might already live there...please come down & cheer us all on. I'll be looking out for you! emmiexx

sunday 10th april **BRIGHTON MARATHON**

Oh my goodness! The day is finally here!! It's 07.15 & I'm making my final preps for the race...coffee/porridge/race bag... I can't really believe it's about to happen and I'm looking forwards to seeing the other runners, the spectators and hopefully, a few friends too. Anyway, I'm going to nip off now.....I'll blog again later today WHEN IT'S ALL OVER!! emmiex

sunday 10th april 18.47hrs

So....it's all over! After 5hrs of sweating, aching limbs, blisters and numerous bottles of water, I finished the Brighton Marathon. I'm home again, bathed and in my jimjams, ready for a night of lounging! What a fabulous day: the weather was glorious..if a little on the warm side to be running for hours on end. But this meant that the spectator turnout was amazing; lots of people cheering and encouraging you on, which is especially important when you're flagging. After the initial run around Preston Park, we struck out through town and out to Ovingdean, after that there was what felt like an endless trek through Hove and Aldington and then out round the powerstation at Shoreham. This was the 20mile mark, when energy levels sag and negative feelings can be overwhelming: but I was so cheered to have friends who'd come down (and some who were literally 'just passing') to wave me on and give me much-needed words of encouragement at all stages of the run, from start to end, I even had a friend waving from her balcony in her dressing gown (she's on the dreaded night shifts!). In the last few miles, I was aching all over but the constant cries of 'go on, you can do it' or 'keep going, not far now' were a real spur on and as I came to the final 200metres, my mum and best friend (and her family) gave me a rousing cheer which propelled me over the finish line. After getting my bag back, scoffing a few bananas, changing my (extremely) sweaty t-shirt and having my pacing chip removed, my other best friend appeared...with a much needed bag of maltesers and words of congratulations. I can absolutely say today has been the most physically gruelling and challenging thing I've ever done, but also one of the most amazing and special things too: and to think that my slogging round Brighton for 5hrs has raised almost £800 so far for Dramatic Need's fantastic work with kids makes it all the more special. I really hope that I'll be able to raise some more money in the post-race period & I'd just like to thank all my lovely sponsors and friends for the support, their cash and their cheers today. And now, it's time for wine and pizza...hooray!! emmiexx

saturday 23rd april

So, it's a couple of weeks since the marathon & I'm all recovered, blister-free and ready to start running again after a fortnight's rest. I entered next year's Brighton Marathon the day after I finished this year's, before I had a chance to think about it too much. I'm hoping that I'll get under 4.5hrs next time, but I'll have to train a WHOLE lot more. This week I went to Dramatic Need's Frankenstein Q&A at the National Theatre, London. It was a great hour, after the evening performance, with Jonny Lee Miller, Danny Boyle (a DA patron) and Benedict Cumberbatch: they spoke about their experiences of developing, rehearsing and performing Frankenstein on stage and how they've worked together as a team. I was chuffed to get the first audience question in, if you go to www.dramaticneed.tumblr.com you can check out some film of the night & read a transcript. All those who attended received a fab 'frankenstein' mask, sewn by a women's sewing group in South Africa, set up & supported by Dramatic Need....which is what I'm wearing in my latest picture! After the event, I had a mad dash back to Brighton, getting home @ 2am and then having to leave for work at 6am! But it was well worth it. My justgiving page stays open for a while yet, so you can still donate to DA if you haven't already done so....I hope you'll take the time to support this great charity and tell others about their work. Thanks, emmiex