First of all, a big Thank You for taking the time to visit my page.

So, who are 'Volunteer Reading Help' and why have I chosen to support them?

VRH recruits volunteer reading helpers from the local community, fully trains and supports them and places them in local primary schools.  Each reading helper works with three children and works one-to-one with each child twice a week for a whole school year.  When you consider that 72,000 children in England left primary school this year unable to read and write properly, and that many of these children will never catch up, it becomes clear why the work of VRH is so important.

I am now one of these reading helpers and every week I see for myself what a challenge it can be for some children to even open a book.  In recognition of their efforts I decided to set myself a bigger challenge than usual and in 2012 I will be running two marathons in two weeks (Brighton on April 15 and London on April 22) in support of this fantastic charity.  The training is well underway and it’s hard work …!

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please, donate now and help VRH to help more children learn to read.  As they say, every little helps!

Thank you!

Paula xxx

PS - and if you happen to be in either Brighton or London on the relevant dates and fancy coming along to cheer on the runners then please do - the encouragement is always appreciated!!