Hello everybody.

It’s that time of year again. I’m going to Ireland to run the Dublin Marathon. This year I 'm raising money for two charities – Bench Outreach and the Jessica Mathers Trust (JMT).

Our vision at Bench Outreach is to help improve the quality of life of vulnerable people in South East London. We work with alcoholics, drug addicts and homeless people to provide pathways into treatment and housing. The Jessica Mathers Trust known as The JMT, has been set up in memory of Jessica Mathers, who died on 2nd March 2007, aged just 13. It is part of a beautiful story of love and courage and its vision is to support homeless people, and those whose lives have been disrupted by premature bereavement. Jessica's Heart, a building in Deptford, will become a base for Bench Outreach and a local Compassionate Friends (TCF) group.

Last year with your support I raised over £1,500. In this climate of cutbacks and spending reviews involving billions of pounds, it does not seem a huge amount but in Bench Outreach, it makes a huge impact. It could pay our rent for six months, pay two part-time outreach workers for a month or cover the cost of our phones and broadband for an entire year.

For more information about Bench Outreach and the JMT, please visit these websites: www.benchoutreach.com and http://www.thejmt.co.uk/

Please give as much as you can, just as we do. It will make a huge difference.

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.