After watching the London Marathon on the TV in April 2023, I got all inspired by several people who I knew who completed it, and decided to enter the 'ballot' for 2024 (perhaps after one too many wines!) My thinking was that I wouldn't get a ballot place as they are literally like gold dust...to my surprise in June 2023, I received an email saying I had got a place (dam!!!)

After a difficult year personally by this point, what has since followed is my journey from non-runner to marathon runner; hitting various goals along the way. By 31st December 2023, I'd ran my first half marathon (13 miles) in 2:14 minutes.

It's been a "journey" for sure with so many people helping me along the way. From tears, to laughs, to meeting new people and developing friendships in a running community. I have genuinely given everything to get physically and mentally prepared to run 26.2 miles around London on Sunday 21st April, hoping for a 4:30 min time (fingers crossed)

Whilst I do not need to run for a charity (as I have a ballot place) I have decided to set a target to raise £500 for the Gingerbread Centre. They support families who have lost their home in Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding areas. They are given temporary accommodation in one of the 33 flats and houses at the charity and are assigned a support worker from the Family Support Team who establishes why the family lost their home and puts together a bespoke support package to address the issues with the aim of getting the family back on track and back into a home of their own, regardless as to how long it takes. Children can be traumatised by homelessness and through its Activity Club, the charity helps them regain their confidence and self-esteem.

Demand on the Centre’s resources is at an all-time high at present and in fact there is currently a waiting list of families needing help. Therefore, they need all the support they can get to maintain their services.

https://gingerbreadcentre.co.uk/

I hope that you can support this charity, no matter how small the donation, it will make all the difference.

Much love to all who donate.

And I want to say a HUGE thank you to the many people in my life who have helped me get this far - from friends, work colleagues, running club buddies, I genuinely couldn’t have done it without you.

See you at the end (and I promise I will stop talking about running!)

Lyns x

UPDATE - I increased the target because you're all amazing and we reached it very quickly!