After a month of feeling poorly in October meaning little to no running I am back on it and will be running the World AIDS Day Red Run 10km on Saturday 25 November in Victoria Park to raise money for Positive East, an East London charity that provides support and advice services to people living with HIV.

I'm really proud to be able to run in support of a charity that does such vital work in my local community. While there have been some fantastic developments in HIV medication and medical care, there are still huge barriers that many people living with HIV face. These can include social isolation, poor mental health and a lack of self-worth as well as issues such as financial hardship and lack of access to stable housing.

Positive East has been at the forefront of HIV service and care for three decades; supporting people from point of HIV diagnosis to longer term care. Guided by their mission - to improve the quality of life of individuals and communities affected by HIV – they have developed a holistic range of health and wellbeing programmes, from counselling to workshops to HIV testing and prevention.

East London, and Hackney in particular, has a much higher rate of HIV diagnoses than the national average yet the HIV and sexual health sector is experiencing severe funding cuts every single year. Positive East is now relying more than ever on the generosity of the local community to support their vital work.

I'm really proud to be able to run in support of a charity that does such vital work in my local community. I won't be breaking any records but looking forward to the run!