If you've seen me in the last few weeks you'll know I'm permanently knackered and everything aches. Training for my first marathon is the hardest physical thing I've ever done . But all this pain and exhaustion will be worth it if I cross the finish line on 7 October having raised some money for two brilliant charities. That's the bit I really need your help with.

Two reasons why you should part with your hard-earned cash:

1.     1. We know more about space than the human brain and I want to live in a world where that sentence seems archaic and crazy, don't you? Mind are ploughing more research into what goes on in our heads so we can tackle mental illness and the stigma that plagues the 1 in 4 of us who battle with it. When a cure for depression, Alzheimers, or any other mental illness is announced, you will be able to say it’s partly down to you.

2.     2. Girl India is a charity you’ve probably never heard of. It’s run by a lady from Tynemouth and is so small that absolutely nothing is spent on admin. Every penny raised goes from the North East to helping women in Himachal Pradesh set themselves up with a career so they can support themselves and their children without being cast out of their community or having to marry someone twice their age out of necessity. There's a lot of wasted money in today's charities but I've worked with Wynne in India and know that this is one charity that wastes nothing. By donating, you can say you gave a woman her independence. More info here.

Why is this site only donating to Mind?

GIRL India is so small that nothing is spent on admin. Justgiving takes money off so the charity can't justifying being part of it. When this site gets to £300, Fiona will ask you not to donate on here anymore because everything over the first £300 goes to GIRL India. If you want your money to only go to GIRL India please donate directly through PayPal here: donate as many times as you wish through PayPal using the reference 'Fi Marathon' or donate in person the old fashioned way on Fi's sponsorship form.

Who is Fiona?

Fiona's from Hexham in Northumberland and works as a Broadcast Journalist in Newcastle. She lived in India for a year and as first hand experience of aid work in the country. More info here.

Thank You

Even sponsoring just 10p will help so I'd be incredibly grateful for any donation, whatever the size. Thank you x x x