Thanks for visiting my fundraising page.
I am running the 2009 London Marathon to raise money for Sparks, a UK charity that funds a broad range of paediatric research to help ALL babies to be born healthy and to stay healthy. There really couldn't be a better cause. If you would like to see more about the research that Sparks funds, please click on the link to the left which should hopefully take you to their web-page.
Our twins Arthur and Maddy were born seven weeks early in April 2007, but were very well looked after in hospital for almost a month before being allowed home. Unfortunately, we were back for another stay in hospital shortly afterwards when Arthur contracted meningitis. He was extremely ill for a while, and that is an understatement.
Those of you with children will understand the almost incredible amount of distress and worry this caused for ourselves and our families; those of you without children can, thank goodness, really only guess. It was a fraught time, and we were incredibly grateful for everybody’s support, which made all the difference in the world. Two eventful years on, Arthur and Maddy are happy, healthy and thriving. In fact, they are a real handful, as many of you reading this will know, and their good health is in large part because of the extraordinary medical care they received throughout their time in hospital; I have to say that it made me proud to see the level of care the NHS provides.
I am now asking for your support once again. I would be very grateful for any donation you could make, however small; every pound really does count.
Let me assure you, I am in no way “in shape” for a marathon, and am expecting several hours of extreme discomfort at best. As an incentive for generosity, larger sponsors among you would be able to see special photos of me in (presumably) utter, utter agony as I cross (hopefully) the finish line. But it will be worth it to raise money for such a tremendous cause.
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: SPARKS gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation. So basically you get a good bang for your buck.
So please, please sponsor me now!
Many thanks and God bless,
Al
