Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. :)

My training is well underway for the second time. 

After Covid stopped my plans to take part in the 2020 London Marathon (entered on a whim, getting in first time on the ballot!) , here I am, back again for 2023! 

This is an absolute huge challenge for me, one I don't ever to intend to repeat but giving me something to focus my time on after a lot of personal upheaval. I'll also be thinking of my dear late Grandad who I lost in the early days of Covid, who I know would have been so proud to watch me complete this journey.

Back in 2019 fresh off the high of completing the Bournemouth Half Marathon on the back of a swift upward trajectory from my Clarks Runners' Couch to 5K days (Casper Byrne you have a lot to answer for!), peer pressure got me to enter the London Marathon ballot and here I am! Training was going ok first time around- I got to 16 miles and 4 loops of the infamous Lemur Loop 10K course so I'm confident I can do it by putting the effort in!

Having the luxury of a ballot place I didn't want to waste my opportunity to raise some money for a worthy cause, and I picked a very worthy local charity- Children's Hospice South West. Supporting 500 families each year across their three hospices (in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset), the charity provides hospice care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions, whilst also supporting the family for as long as is needed from short breaks, palliative/end of life care, bereavement support as well as sibling support. 

Being a Mum myself, I cannot imagine the situation these poor families find themselves in or how they possibly deal with that prognosis.

These essential, cherished services cost £12million a year, almost entirely reliant on voluntary donations.

*Again huge thanks to everyone who sponsored me the first time around. Virgin Money (who I was previously using for sponsorship) have since shut down but rest assured those original funds of £250 are already with the charity, this new page will hopefully raise a little more and help spur me over that finish line on the Mall in April 2023!

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.