Thank you in advance for taking the time to visit my fundraising page today. 

If you're wondering how it's come about, the story begins with my good friend Matt and I's regrettable decision to run the Brighton Marathon on the 12^th September 2021. As someone that did not regularly start exercising until he was 22, with the longest distance ran so far being a half marathon in 2019, this task currently seems insurmountable. So, to stop myself backing out of the challenge I thought best to tell as many people as possible about my intentions to run. With there being no better way of doing this than by doing it in the name of a great cause.

Fortunately for me, the East Anglian Sailing Trust (EAST) has looked past my limited long-distance running experience and allowed me to run in their name.  EAST is a charity that provides children and adults who are visually impaired or who have disabilities with regular opportunities to access and enjoy sailing activities. Founded in 1993, it has enabled hundreds of people the opportunity to sail thanks to a dedicated and talented team of volunteers that includes my grandparents, Pat and Bill Smith. 

Naturally, much like everything else, COVID has impacted the EAST's ability to offer the full schedule of in-person sailing that it would have wanted to in 2020. However, following the publication of the government road map EAST has announced it will be back on the water in early May this year. My hope is the money raised here will support the ongoing efforts by all at the charity to come back as fully as possible, as soon as possible.

To say thank you for your donation to EAST, and in some cases to provide further incentives, I've set out a number of things that I'm willing to do in return for your sponsorship. As a thank you for...

• a £5 donation you can choose a song, any song, and I'll have it in my running playlist on the day
• a £30 donation I'll run the marathon in any piece of clothing you provide (the sillier the better, as long as it does not impede the ability to run) (0 of 1 available)
• a £40 donation I'll donate another £20 on your behalf (making your overall contribution £60) (6 of 6 available)
• a £60 donation you are more than welcome to cut my hair in any way you see fit and I'll keep it that way for at least two days (0 of 1 available)
• a £75 donation, when legal, Daria and I will cater a three-course dinner for you and a lucky guest of your choosing with wine pairings included (0 of 2 available)
• (if you have something in mind as a thank you that's not listed above, do get in touch as I'm open to suggestions)