Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving sponsorship page.

Marathon-running... well, I did want a challenge, but having found out I had a place at this year's Brighton Marathon (Sunday 6 April) only 10 weeks before the event, this certainly is a CHALLENGE!

The week before the run I'll have turned the ripe young age of 40 & this is my first marathon. It seems that I'll be enduring dark winter long-distance training runs for the next few weeks, but Brighton in the springtime will be delightful - not cold, windy, wet. Not at all...

This is where you come in, my friends. I need your support to cheer me on when the training gets tough, but also (right now) in sponsoring me to raise money for Pilgrims Hospices. It's a charity very dear to our hearts, having cared for our friend Sam Loweth, who succumbed to cancer at the age of 44 only a few months ago. This is my way of thanking Pilgrims Hospices for the care and support shown to Sam and her family during her treatments.

Cancer can strike at any time, and for a young family like Sam's, Pilgrims Hospices has been there for them - with incredible nursing, massages and palliative treatments and house-visits for Sam, and ongoing counselling and bereavement support for Andy and the children.

Pilgrims Hospices cares for over 2,300 people each year, with illnesses that cannot be cured including cancer, heart failure, respiratory conditions and neurological diseases. Their work is completely free to access, and is an incredibly important resource locally when you need it most.

So what can you do? Please support my challenge as Pilgrims Hospices supported Sam and her family.

• £5 could buy lunch for a patient
• £50 can support bereaved children’s days, and
• £475 could provide a nurse for a week

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 Pilgrims Hospices. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

If you'd rather complete a Sponsorship Form, or send a cheque, just let me know.

Thank you so much for reading this far. Now help me drag my weary legs over that line and get the ££ signs flashing at the top of this page!