Brace yourself friends. I am about to ask you for money!

As most of you will know by now I'm running the London Marathon on 17th April 2010 - no need to laugh quite so hard!  I am running for Help the Hospices which is an amazing charity and a cause particularly close to my heart. 

 My grandfather, Patrick Newel, was a fundraising consultant for Help the Hospices and more specifically for the Duchess of Norfolk, founder and president of the charity. He eventually died at the Princess Alice Hospice in 1992. My mum, Alison, also works at the Shooting Star Children's Hospice who provide amazing care for children with life-limiting conditions and support their families through impossibly difficult times. Finally, Jacko's father (Jacko being the boyfriend for those of you who don't know me so well) is the Chief Executive of St Richard's Hospice in Worcestershire, another extraordinary place which transforms people's lives when they need it most (watch the video on the left of this page). St Richard's is one of many hospices that will benefit from your donations and the video shows just how important your support is.  Sadly, most of us will experience the work that hospices do, visiting poorly friends and relatives, which is why I am sure it is a cause not only close to my heart but to many of yours as well.

I'm currently writing a blog about the ups and downs of my training as well as updating my readers about the latest news from the amazing world of hospices. http://muzziesmarathon.blogspot.com

Thank you so much for your help