Update: 09 June
I'm just writing the cheque to send to Crossroads Care, and together the offline and online donations have come to a grand total of £765!
This is £265 more than my initial target of £500, and I'm so proud and happy to have raised such a lot. This money will make a difference to Crossroads Care and help them with the amazing work they do - thanks so much to everyone who donated!
xXx
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Update: 27 April
I successfully completed the half-marathon on 24 April :-D
And I've got the medal to prove it!
A huge thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far! As you can see, I've broken through my goal of £500 and the sky's the limit now... Your generosity means such a lot and will make a big difference to Crossroads Care.
Also: the trainers in the picture are not mine, fortunately :) Their tattered state is probably a fair reflection of how I felt after the race though!
Thank you again for your generosity, and for all the moral support! It's made running the race so much more worthwhile.
Lucy xx
__________________________________________________________________________________________
I am running the Sheffield Half-Marathon on 25th April 2010 for Crossroads Care, a charity that supports carers in the UK.
A carer is someone of any age who provides unpaid support to family or friends whose health or wellbeing could suffer without this help. This could be caring for a relative, partner, child or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems.
These are ordinary people who make the decision to look after a relative or a friend in need. The decision to become a carer can affect every aspect of the carer's life -- they might have to give up their job or work crazy hours in order to make ends meet whilst caring for their loved one. They sacrifice their time and their energy to a role that can be emotionally and physically exhausting. It is a difficult and frequently an isolating experience.
There are currently 6 million carers in the UK, 1.2 million of whom are caring for over fifty hours a week and it is estimated that they save the government £87 billion each year by providing the support they do.
It is estimated that 2 million more people will become carers in 2010.
Crossroads Care supports carers practically, for example by providing respite care and counselling services for carers, as well as providing advice and guidance. Crossroads Care works locally to provide services and support to individuals, and nationally to support the development of legislation and policy that improves conditions for carers.
I am supporting Crossroads Care because I believe that nobody who provides care and support to someone else should go without care and support themselves. It is easy to overlook the person who cares for someone who is suffering, but anybody who makes this kind of sacrifice for a person they love should never be overlooked.
Running the half-marathon is a personal challenge -- I have always been an inconsistent runner and this will force me to train properly and commit to completing a significant distance. I will put an update on Facebook once a week to let everyone know how the training is going, and ultimately to let everyone know how the race went!
Every penny you donate will encourage me to train harder and to run faster. Thank you for your support!
Lucy x
http://www.crossroads.org.uk/index.php?mid=1&pgid=1
------------------
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
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 dig deep and donate now.
