On April 6th 2025, I will be running the London Landmarks Half Marathon with a couple of members of staff from Frimley Park Neonatal Unit to raise money for Little Stars Charity. The money goes towards our Neonatal Unit.

Many of you who have known me for a while know that I have taken up running for my health and mental wellbeing. This lifestyle change came about following the pandemic. I was morbidly obese, suffering from gout, sleep apnoea and knee pain. The final straw was getting hit with the virus and suffering from long Covid. I knew I was a heart attack waiting to happen and something had to change. This has been a long journey, from barely being able to jog 2 minutes before turning grey to now running on a daily basis, this Half Marathon will be my first competitive timed event. The Christmas fun run doesn’t count! I promise this is going to be One and Done for me as far as competitive runs go.

All funds raised will be used to purchase ‘Neopuff’ Resuscitators. These resuscitators are preferred to the conventional ‘Bag, Mask, Valve’ as it allows for a more controlled delivery of pressure to a baby’s lungs. This helps protect their lungs, which is even more important with preterm babies who are very fragile.

At the moment only our Intensive Care room is fitted with ‘Neopuff’ Resuscitators. The ‘step down’ room where babies receive high dependency care has not been fitted with these resuscitators. This room was previously an adult ward before it was converted to its current guise.

These machines do not come cheap though! Each unit costs just under £1000. We hope to raise enough money to buy a couple of units - at least 3, but hopefully 5. So please donate generously!