Hi - thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving webpage....

Usually when I travel around London I take the Tube - on Sunday 11th October though things will be very different - I am running my first half marathon! Thirteen (and a bit!) miles of hard slog, but all in aid of a very worthwhile cause....

Shine Trust is a charity which does excellent work supporting educational programmes for disadvantaged children and young people in London and Manchester, and is based locally to me just outside Epsom. Shine's work includes specialist after school clubs, complementary classes on Saturdays and intensive literacy and numeracy support sessions.

Some projects respond to the challenge of children with special educational needs, who require specific help to bring them up to speed. Some help underachievers, where a little more attention will enable them to do much better. And others stretch gifted children who want to see just how good they can really be.

The run I'm taking part in is the London Royal Parks Half Marathon (www.royalparkshalf.com). Starting just west of Hyde Park Corner, the route will take in Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and Blackfriars Bridge before doubling back through Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens - ending just east of the Royal Albert Hall.

I have been training hard, it will be an experience - and I hope it will be fun too!

So please spare a few minutes to help those less fortunate, dig deep, and be as generous as you can....

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.

To find out more about Shine Trust, visit www.shinetrust.org.uk.

Two particular partnerships which Shine have which I have connections with are:-

CFA Society of the UK - this is the UK's professional body for financial analysts and investment professionals, of which I am a member - you will perhaps recall the CFA's IMC qualification which I successfully completed last year. Last year CFA UK chose Shine as their 'official charity', and run a variety of events to raise funds.

Watford Football Club - and obviously I have a connection here as well - now in my 36th consecutive year with a Season Ticket! Shine is the official charity partner of Watford FC's Youth Academy.

Many thanks for reading this....

Jonathan