Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Last year I did my first ever marathon at the age of (nearly) 56. It bloomin hurt (a lot), and I said that I would never do another one again……….But, it wouldnt hurt to apply for London would it? After all, no one gets through on the ballot do they? But apparently they do, and I did.

I couldn’t ‘do London’ without doing it for charity though.

Lasr year also saw me change role at work and in doing so I met a work mate who has become a good friend, called Sabrina (or Sab) It was over coffee one day that she told me her heartbreaking story of how she and her partner Rob went totally through the mill when their daughter Mia was born desperately prematurely.

Mia was born 26 weeks into the pregnancy and weighed just 770grams, or 1.7lbs in old money. That weight is less than a bag of sugar. Or to really put it into perspective both my daughters weighed 8lbs 13oz each when they were born, that is nearly 6 times heavier than little Mia.

As Sab told me the story of how Cots for Tots were there for her and Rob as well as Mia, I could see just how much it meant to her.

They spent 174 days in Bristol hospital and for 30 of those days, Mia was ventilated. Sab was certain that this saved Mia’s life.

Mia was born over two years ago now and I really love seeing her pop up occasionally on our works ‘Teams’ meetings. She is a gorgeous and energetic little girl. You would not know that she had such a hard start to her life. I know that Sab and Rob are aware though. They are also very aware of how much Cots for Tots has helped them and saved little Mia’s life. I am therefore only too happy to put myself through another 26 miles of pain to raise money for Cots for Tots, which is part of the Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal.

See Mia, Sab, and Rob’s full Cots for Tots Story here. And check out the photos of little Mia in my photo album at the top of the page 😊

From helping staff, patients or their families, The Grand Appeal and Cots for Tots puts Bristol Children's Hospital at the heart of everything they do.

They support the hospital through:

Family accommodation: they run three accommodation houses that provide a safe and supportive place for families to stay while their child is in hospital.

Medical research: they invest in medical research programmes to ensure the hospital remains a hub of innovation, where everyday experts pave the way for sick children through a network of projects with international impact.

Equipment: they fund state-of-the-art equipment to save lives.

Music, play and art therapy: their music, play and arts programme can be seen in every ward at Bristol Children's Hospital, helping young children to deal with the stresses and fears they may face during treatment.

Art enhancements: they work to make sure Bristol Children's Hospital provides a fun, stimulating and comforting space for the brave children it cares for.