I am running the London Marathon on April 24 – eek! I will love you forever if sponsor me. Please note, this is not a deal breaker on our friendship, it would be just amazing if you can. 

My amazing friends Sheena and Tom have helped me make this video to ask you all for your support.

What will you get in return I hear you ask?

1. A general warm fuzzy feeling that you are helping more children from some of the toughest places in Africa get the chance to go to school and get a good education.
   
2. The opportunity to suggest a song for my running playlist – something I deem unlistenable or a soaring run-friendly anthem?! Your call  - just log your choice by clicking here.

A little bit about why I am running…

When I was really young, I had always said I would do the marathon on my 18th birthday – being an April baby. I then discovered the charms of indie music and frequenting the Hand & Spear way too often to make that a physical possibility. 20 years on and it’s somehow back on the cards. A couple years ago, someone said to me that the best way to keep yourself sane was to walk for an hour a day. I tried to put this into action in my life where I could and seemed to end up running. I’ve never actually signed up for a challenge that was really out of my comfort zone but now seemed like the time. The fact that I can raise some money for charity whilst going through a mountain of pain is a bit of a bonus.

I know it’s going to be super tough and a lot of you will have to put up with some overly-running based chat over the next few months. If you can do anything to help me reach my fundraising target, it will be much appreciated. 

A little bit about who I am running for…

I have been working at Lessons for Life Foundation for the last year and a half. At Lessons for Life, we believe that education changes everything and that every child, no matter where they live, has the right to an education that radically transforms their chances in life. If you take a look at this video, you’ll get a sense of what we do and why we do it. You’ll also get a feel for the kind of things our amazing supporters got up to in 2015 to help us send more children in Africa to school and get the quality education they deserve. I am really proud that my marathon effort this year will support Lessons for Life to send more children in Africa to school as part of our Send Me to School appeal,  aiming to raise £5m to send 50,000 kids to school by the end of 2017. Give me a shout if you want to know more.

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.