Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

So why on earth am I running the London marathon?!

Well I started running in April 2011 as it was something I had never been any good at and since my husband (H) was going to be away in Afghanistan for six months I thought it would keep me busy. Six months later to mark the end of his tour I decided to set myself a 'little' challenge, and in the month of November 2011 I ran three half marathons!

But why stop at a half marathon I hear you cry? Why not go the whole hog and run the greatest marathon on earth - the London marathon!

So that was that, the decision to run the London marathon in the Olympic year was made. However, who to run for was not such a big decision. The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) is the UK's oldest Armed Forces charity. They provide practical help and assistance to anyone who is currently serving or has ever served, and their families wherever they are. I hope that H and I never need SSAFA's help, however, a number of our close friends have been directly affected by current conflicts and without charities like SSAFA there to help, their lives would not be the same.

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 - thank you!