I completed the Run to the Beat half-marathon in 2 hours 2 minutes on Sunday, 25 September, which was 8 minutes faster than in 2010 and very close to my target of 2 hours or under.

Needless to say I was very pleased with myself, especially as I thought I was less fit this year and would fare worse.

But rather than my small achievement, what has been far more heartening is your generosity, which has enabled me to exceed my fund-raising target for Amnesty International.

I just want to thank everyone who sponsored me from the bottom of my heart. The freeness with which you gave has humbled and inspired me and made every step I ran so much lighter.

So thank you from me, from Amnesty and, most importantly, on behalf of all those people you’ve helped without even knowing who they are. You’ve made the world a better place and my run far more rewarding than it would otherwise have been.

For those of you who haven’t yet but would like to make a contribution, there is still an opportunity, as the fundraising page remains live for three months after the event.

Amnesty campaigns tirelessly for people facing imprisonment, torture and threats to their lives because their opinions, political affiliation, race or national origin, religion, creed or sexual orientation are inconvenient or unacceptable to their governments.

All the misery and injustice in the world can sometimes feel insurmountable, but you CAN make a difference.

It's better to light one candle than curse the darkness. So please dig deep and donate whatever you can to help support Amnesty's good work.

Once you donate, JustGiving will send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer.