Hey! After years of dedication, I have finally managed to get into the London Marathon representing a charity that is extremely close to my heart (no pun intended). My legs are still deciding whether this is a good thing, but by accepting this place, I have pledged to raise a minimum of £2000 for the British Heart Foundation.

Why? Because I have seen the worst of what can happen to people when their most vital organ begins to fail, and I truly praise all of the hard work that the BHF do to support those with heart disease. From inspiring me to volunteer to helping my dad, I feel like it's my chance to help the organisation that has provided so much not only for my family and me, but for all of the British public.

How? Well, £2000 is a lot of money, so I hope that I can get all of the support that I need by pushing myself to the limit through training and running the grueling 26.2 mile run this April. There will be a lot of ice baths and aching, but I believe that I can do it. I will also ensure my progress is updated regularly.

Apart from that, I plan on running a 'PinMySkin' campaign where I will write a message from every single person who donates somewhere on my body on the day of the run (I'm still working out the logistics of this one). Their name, a loved one's name, a message. Whatever! Crazy I know, but it also really emphasises the fact that every donation counts, and everyone is beating heart disease together. 

Also, I hope to develop and publish a mobile app in the next few months that should help with the campaign with a portion of proceeds being donated to the charity, but more on that later.

Sounds great, but where is my money going? Where is it not going?! Even the smallest donation can change lives, including:

• £2 – Helps 10 children get more physically active
  
• £30 - Heartstart Schools training pack
  
• £50 – Help fund vital lab work

Great! Where do I donate? You've come to the right place chum. 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.

Finally, I just want to say thanks for checking out the page. I know this gets said all of the time, but every single donation really does count, so I can't even explain the gratitude of going out of your way to help with this. You are awesome. You look great today and should treat yourself.

Thanks again,

Jamie

For more information on the BHF, check out their site here:

http://www.bhf.org.uk/

http://www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved/where-your-money-goes.aspx