Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My story began with a simple email from Chris Rawstron (for those of you who do not know Chris, he is the Managing Partner of my office) asking whether anyone would be interested in running the London Marathon in April 2010 (26.2 miles) on behalf of Birmingham Settlement, which is a charity that my office regularly supports.  I'm sure that Chris will agree that it didn't take me long to snap up the place! 

The reason why I wanted to take part in the London Marathon was, firstly, because I have worked with the charity before and I feel that it does a great job at developing communities and changing people's lives and, secondly, because I think we all recognise the London Marathon as one of those challenging yet highly rewarding achievments in life.

Since accepting the place I have completed the Birmingham Half Marathon and I am looking forward to the challenge ahead.  That said, the London Marathon will not be easy - training during these dark winter nights is tough.

Birmingham Settlement was founded in 1899 and is one of the oldest charities operating in the city.  Originally set up to support women and children from deprived areas, the charity has evolved over the years to encompass almost all types of social and economic disadvantage.  Today, their organisation provides a wide range of services to underprivileged and vulnerable communities and individuals.  These include children's services, family support, money advice, services for the elderly and employment.

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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please sponsor me now.