Story
<p>Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #000000;">I’m a 39 year senior designer, originally from Bedford, now living in Hertfordshire. I have been married to Sarah for nearly 4 years and have two step children, Honor, aged 10 and Bryn who is 11. I have been running for two and a half years, ever since one of my friends saw a photo of me on a friends facebook page and commented that I looked like I had eaten all the pies! I decided enough was enough, something had to be done! I entered the Bristol Half Marathon (after a little friendly persuasion) and used that as the motivation to get training. Since that day I have completed seven half marathons, getting my pb down to 1 hour 49 minutes and countless other shorter races, losing over two stone in the process and being fitter than I ever have in my life.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #000000;"> </span>The opportunity to tackle my first marathon for a charity as worthwhile as Thrive was just too good an opportunity to miss. Thrive is an organisation which is close to my heart for two main reasons. Firstly, my wife Sarah works as a Horticultural Co-ordinator teaching disabled adults the skills required to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers. She also suffers from depression and her love of gardening, both at work and on our own allotment , has helped her cope with this. Through her I have seen the way horticultural therapy has helped her and others cope with both physical disabilities and mental health issues. Secondly, my step son Bryn has Cerebral Palsy. Although he is wheelchair-bound he loves spending time on our allotment sowing seeds, enjoying the fresh air and, ultimately, enjoying the fruits of his labour!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;">Thrive's work benefits people of all abilities in many different ways; physically, mentally and socially. This kind of therapy is beginning to be recognised and supported by the medical profession yet is still widely unknown to the public at large. I feel that any additional exposure that can be brought to Thrive and the work they do would benefit not only Thrive as an organisation but the lives of many people who are looking for additional or alternative therapies to help them overcome their own personal illness.</p>
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<p>So here i sit with the realisation that i have less than five months to get myself in shape for the first marathon of my life! Having a beautiful family supporting me and a fantastic charity to run for are all the motivation I need to hit the ground running! So please dig deep and donate now. Wish me luck!..</p>