Story
<p>Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</p>
<p>I am running the London Marathon on April 17, 2011 - which will be my 10th Marathon. The London Marathon is the largest annual fundraising event on the planet – runners have raised over £500 million for good causes since the race began in 1981.</p>
<p>So I have decided to run for the Guide Dogs charity organization - a charity that I have supported for many years. The ability to get around is vital in order to live a full life yet thousands of blind and partially sighted people never leave home alone. Guide Dogs empowers visually impaired people to do that and relies on the support of the public to fund its services.</p>
<p>They breed and train guide dogs which provide life changing mobility and there are currently 4,500 working guide dog partnerships in the UK alone - even though Guide Dogs is a global organization. Guide dog owners only have to pay a nominal 50p for their dog to ensure no-one is prevented from having one due to a lack of funds. The full lifetime cost of a guide dog from birth to retirement is £48,500.</p>
<p>Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer.</p>
<p>Thank you in advance for your contribution!</p>
<p>Alan</p>
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