STOP PRESS

Completed the Half Marathon on 1:42:49 and came 1,384....there is still time to donate through the rest of October.

Thank you to everyone for your support and donations!

________________________________________

Thanks for taking the time to visit my page.

This is my first ever half marathon! So why am I putting myself through this? All I can say is I felt called to do this.

I have sponsored a child in Zimbabwe for the past three years through Plan - her name is Loreen. Plan do amazing things and they hope funds raised by their runners will help with a project in Benin, West Africa, which is ranked 163 out of 177 countries in the UN Poverty Index.  In the areas of Couffo and Atacora only 36% of people have access to safe clean water. Few have access to hygienic sanitation provisions and many lack the knowledge and awareness to maintain existing wells.  Consequently, in these departments children are especially vulnerable to entirely preventable diseases - like malaria, diarrhoea and dysentery - which are related to unclean water and poor hygiene practices. These diseases, along with the shocking fact that nearly 1 in 3 children under 3 years are underweight, lead to high levels of under-5 and infant mortality (123 per 1,000). The diseases - and the deaths that follow - are easily avoidable, simply by making information on cost-effective, hygienic family toilets and basic hygiene practices available to communities.

Therefore, funds raised will help to increase the access to adequate toilet facilities and clean water to communities in order to reduce disease and mortality rates among children, and make it easier for them to attend school.
Some of the key activities of the project are:
1.Boreholes being specifically drilled at local schools and two boreholes per community (12 in total).
2. Local health centres to benefit from access to safe water and sanitation.
3.The inclusion of women and girls in the project, as they are the ones usually expected to collect water for the household.

More information about plans work - http://www.plan-uk.org

So please support my first ever half marathon as I run this for Plan.

This is a personal challenge as well. For someone who hasn't run for sometime to complete 13.1 miles on October 10 will be an amazing personal achievement as well as knowing the money I will help raise will go to a wonderful cause. Please help me make this a success. Thank you so much!

Best wishes,Tom
____________________________________________

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 dig deep and donate now.