Oh dear, what have I done? Whilst standing at the photocopier one day, I casually said to the Head of the fund raising department "I'd like to run a half marathon, but I don't think I'd be able to do it. All that training." "You'd have to do it if you were being sponsored. You couldn't let people down" was her reply. And that was it; before I could back out, I had entered the Sheffield half marathon and committed myself to lots of training in hilly Yorkshire. Never having run anywhere near 13 miles, it's quite a daunting thought!

There was no question about the charity for which I wanted to run. Having worked at Whirlow Hall Farm Trust for 18 months I've seen the awe and wonder on the faces of many young people who've never visited the countryside before. They regularly write thank you letters with phrases like "It was amazing" and "I wish I could have stayed forever". The satisfaction of growing their own vegetables and using them to make soup encourages a healthy lifestyle, whilst holding new born chicks and bottle feeding lambs is something they will never forget.

To keep providing these wonderful opportunities to as many young people as possible, Whirlow Hall Farm has to raise a lot of money each year. Without it many of the most vulnerable young people would not be able to visit and have such positive, often life-changing experiences. So please support me in my fund raising efforts. My ELB students (pictured) have enjoyed their time at Whirlow so much that some of them have decided to run in the Sheffield half marathon fun run in order to raise money for the Trust. They want to give others the same opportunity they've had.

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