Dear All, as you are all now fully aware, in July 2013 I went in to the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford to have my horribly arthritic hip joint removed and replaced by a state of the art ceramic on ceramic furlong hip.I was in constant pain taking a LOT of medication just to get through the day. I'd believed that having a new hip would bring to an end my competitive running days and that life would be about gentle and moderate exercise - far removed from my marathon running days.

However....what I didn't realise at the time was that the hip I was given was a British made implant that was developed through the dedicated fundraising by Orthopaedic research UK. They are a small charity making huge advances to orthopaedic treatment and a worthy of some help from us all. The older we become through innovative treatments then the more likely it is that our joints will wear out and equally there are conditions that afflict the young.

Those that know me know that I race all the time - but I very, very rarely ask for help in fundraising. Orthopaedic research have helped me enormously and continue to do so. It's a two way street and I'd like to help give something back.

Please give whatever you can spare and help ours and future generations stay active and realising their dreams.

Thank you for your help xxxxxxxxx