Hello all,

Firstly thank you for showing an interest and visiting this page :). My name is Jonathan and I'm running 72 separate times to raise money for the Nelson Trust Women's centre in Gloucester.

The Nelson Trust is an amazing organisation, not only helping Women in a variety of difficult circumstances in the community through their centres across the South West, but they also run a rehabilitation centre in Stroud, of which I was a client in 2004.

I had pretty serious drug and alcohol abuse issues from a young teenager up until the age of 24, when I had reached a point where I was at a physical and mental bottom, and was in hospital for yet another extended stay.

The option to enter into 6 months residential treatment was offered to me, and my recovery started there.

My road through recovery has been up and down as I have struggled with mental and physical health challenges, but the work of the staff at Nelson Trust back then laid the foundation for me to be able to work through and cope with things I never would have been able to before rehab.

So Why the Women's centre specifically? Well, many of my friends work within this section of the trust and the success of the work they are doing today has allowed them to grow exponentially, beyond the borders of Gloucestershire itself. But the continued funding is always needed, and right now I'm trying to raise funds for a breakfast area for clients, allowing them to be able to get that all important first meal of the day, which they might otherwise miss. I just want to maybe offer a small contribution, whilst doing something I have a passion and love for.

Speaking of that passion and love, I first started running in 2014, and have actually ran a marathon for the trust before in 2015 (The Stroud Trail Marathon was definitely the hardest physical challenges I have faced).

During the recent Pandemic, my mental health again suffered in the relative isolation and food became my 'go to' comfort. By February 2022 I had reached 20 stone 9lbs. My health was deteriorating fast and I had to do something, starting with walking and eventually running, I managed to lose 6 stone over the next 6 months, and had run my first half marathon again at the end of July of that year.

This next year is undoubtedly going to be the biggest challenge physically and mentally I have ever set for myself, I'm looking forward to running a bunch of events over the year as well as my regular routes as part of this challenge, I just hope that some people see this amazing charity as a worthy cause for a donation during these difficult times.

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Our Womens Community Services offer a one-stop shop for women in contact with the criminal justice system, at risk of being in contact with the criminal justice system. Our clients are often women with complex needs or experiencing multiple disadvantage.

As well as offering access to different types of support, our Women's Centres offer a safe place to shower, find clothes and hygiene products, and have something to eat in a supportive environment. We want the women to feel seen and valued by offering a shower space that is inviting, calming and safe.

We all deserve to feel good about ourselves. Many of the women we support don't have access to a decent shower or bathroom facilities and we hope to provide them with a place to come to feel a bit special and pampered.