Those that know me well, will be aware that running is not my day job, not something I normally enjoy and I have never run a half marathon before! However, I will be running the Robin Hood Half Marathon in September of this year to raise much needed funds for the Gorlin Syndrome Charity.

I have been running consistently for over 6 months with my longest run, to date, being 9 miles and, a target time for completing the event, is around 2 hours.

My son, James, was diagnosed with this rare and incurable condition when he was 2, so I have a strong personal connection to the condition and, the charity have been a massive support to James and our family. Sufferers of the condition typically suffer from many skin cancers (BCCs) and Jaw cysts over their lifetime, with surgery being the main treatment. Patients typically suffer from heavy scarring and have to take precautions to minimize exposure to the sun. The Gorlin Syndrome group is the only Gorlin Syndrome charity in the UK. It supports patients, champions research and new treatments, as well as raising awareness of the condition in the medical community, as it is often missed until later in someone's life.

The charity recently, financially supported a UK based medical trial looking at UV monitoring and its effects on patients with Gorlin Syndrome and, is now raising funds for further research to prevent skin cancers occurring in patients.

The charity is run by a group of dedicated volunteers with all funding coming from donations so any support given will go straight toward patient support and research.

Many thanks

David