I started running a minimum of 5k a day on 1 December 2020 and, like Forrest Gump, I just kept going! With the pandemic and various lockdowns upon us, it turned out to be one of the best things I did for myself this year. Getting outside in all weathers has been life-affirming, if incredibly hard sometimes! It has done wonders for my mental health, and for my physical health as well, and it has proved to me that there is always time to fit things into our day, no matter how busy life seems.

As well as running, I love reading and always have. As a child, I was lucky enough to have access to books, through my school library and my parents. In any spare moment I would be found reading. My primary school, St Christopher's in Gibraltar, started a fantastic reading scheme called Mr Reader which encouraged so many children to read and to love books (and to collect the badges, which we wore proudly on our uniforms - many of us still have them to this day!). 

I'm, therefore, keen to support the National Literacy Trust alongside Hachette UK, where I work at Headline Publishing Group. Here's some more information:

Hachette UK and National Literacy Trust: Changing the Story

We are excited to launch a new reading programme, helping primary school children who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 to develop the literacy skills they need to catch up. The programme will support over 500 children from 25 primary schools around the UK but with your support, we can reach even more.

Hachette UK and its divisions are fundraising for the National Literacy Trust so we can create even more programmes that help children, young people, and adults in disadvantaged communities to develop life-changing literacy skills.

I'd be so grateful if you could donate to this important cause, and support me as I complete 500 (consecutive) Days of Running - my final run will be on 14 April 2022.

Thank you!