On 21st April 2024 I’ll be running the London Marathon in memory of our much missed Paul Mardlin.

Our wonderful Paul aka Choc was taken from us very suddenly on 22nd June 2023 in a devastating car accident. He was an amazing man: father to Poppy and Tilly, husband to Sami, a friend loved by many, and an uncle figure to me and my sisters. He was just 56. He is missed more than words can possibly express. His death makes no sense at all but in an effort to attempt to bring some good out of the most awful situation, and show his girls that even though he’s no longer with us he lives on in the people whose lives he touched I will putting myself so far out of my comfort zone and running the London Marathon in his memory while raising money for two incredible charities in his name. Choc was a keen runner and a very charitable man, it was on his bucket list to one day run the London Marathon, something he sadly never got to tick off. I truly believe that he had a hand in me doing this as having unsuccessfully applied for a ballot place in the London Marathon for over a decade, I received an email saying I got in just two weeks after he died while I was with his family.

Little Heart’s Matter was Choc’s chosen charity, and, therefore, now mine! He raised thousands of pounds for them by organising events and i've no doubt that if he was doing the London Marathon he would choose to support LHM. I am keen to continue supporting such a wonderful charity in his name. Lucia, the daughter of our mutual family friends is one of only a handful of children in a million to be born with half a working heart, known as Double Inlet Left Ventrical. Lucia has already had three open- heart surgeries, the first when she was just eight weeks old, and she may one day need a heart transplant. Little Hearts Matter has been there for Lucia and her family from the moment her parents Fiona and James found out about Lucia’s condition at their 20-week scan. The charity has helped to connect them with other families going through the same thing and has meant that Lucia has been able to meet children who are just like her. The charity has also makes sure that Fiona and James have all the information they need thanks to the incredible staff who are absolute experts in their field. This has been so reassuring for the family at the scariest of times.

Anyone who has ever known me will know I am not a runner. Most people laughed when I told them I had a place in the London Marathon. Running does not come naturally to me at all and this will be without a doubt be the biggest challenge of my life. I’m not exaggerating when I say that on the day I got my place I couldn’t even run to the end of my garden and I’m actually not sure I would have ran if I was being chased. I have a very long journey ahead of me which will take a lot of dedication and sacrifices, the only thing that will make it all worthwhile is if I can raise lots of money for Little Heart’s Matter in Choc’s name.

Please give what you can, it will make a huge difference to Little Heart’s Matter.

Thank you so much #DoingItForChoc