I asked my well-travelled aunt what her favourite thing she would write a book about and she replied, “Washing dishes!”

I’m not painting an unrealistic picture of cartoon-shaped birds singing above her beautiful nest of hair as she happily dipped her hands in a 1950’s bowl of domesticity but she did have an innate superpower to make everyone feel special and appreciated the little things in life.

Unfortunately, not everyone has her lovely disposition and there are people who don’t (to put it mildly), respect others. Nothing can justify when they are cruel. If one person dominates and controls a relationship, their partner might lose confidence and not know how to leave.

I was shocked to learn that women with sensory and mobility needs can endure (on average) about 9 years of abuse. That’s 9 years too long.

This is what inspired me to run for a local charity that supports people who experience domestic abuse.

Stop Domestic Abuse supports thousands of adults and children who are hurt emotionally and physically at home. They provide safe places for domestic abuse victims across Hampshire. I’m particularly interested in helping raise money for them to build a family-friendly, fully accessible, and brand-new refuge locally in Havant.

There are days when I lack the motivation to train for the 10-mile run and I’d rather flop on the couch and consume a bathtub-full of chocolate Alpro, but that feeling soon fades because if one person catches a glimpse of my ‘Stop Domestic Abuse’ T-shirt as I run past, that will make spreading awareness worthwhile.

Please help us to raise money for the refuge and we hope that you’ll be available on Sunday, 15 October to join us at the race. If lots of us wear black baseball caps and sunglasses, we will give out orange ‘Stop Domestic Abuse’ sashes to wear over your black T-shirt. Together, we can show our support to STOP DOMESTIC ABUSE!

To learn more about the services that Stop Domestic Abuse provides, visit: www.stopdomesticabuse.uk