Thank you for deciding to support me and visit my fundraising page you lovely person you

As you may or may not know, I am running the Flora London Marathon for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

I would like to explain my reasons:

In the past 6 months I have been captivated by this charity after finding out about it due to my mum being profoundly deaf. Not knowing anything about it previously, we have applied for a Hearing Dog and we are now waiting to hear, with all our fingers crossed, if mum is going to receive a much needed companion. Due to the fact that one person in every seven experience some degree of hearing loss and over 650,000 of these people are severely or profoundly deaf and would benefit from a Hearing Dog, there is a great demand. Since the charity receive no government funding, they rely on fundraising which means there isn't enough funds to be able to provide dogs to every person who would benefit from this life changing companionship.

Deafness is an invisible disability and can lead to isolation and loneliness as people withdraw, finding it increasingly hard to communicate. I have experienced this through my Mother's deafness as she relies on me to be her ears a lot of the time and she seems to be increasingly tired as she has to concentrate a huge amount to hear during the day.

Things I take for granted like listening to music, the radio, hoovering, chewing and even boiling the kettle means she doesn't hear things like the doorbell and the phone, so, because of this she can't enjoy relaxing and listening to a bit of music. It also means that the gas man has visited several times with no success at alerting my mum that he had arrived!

When I have forgotten to take my keys with me on a night out, there’s no chance of getting in as the doorbell and the phone and even a lot of shouting do not wake her up. I have learnt this the hard way while standing outside in a dress on a very cold night trying to work out the best form of action from my mistake!

I have now met several people who have Hearing Dogs and have seen how much these dogs have changed their lives in such a positive and amazing way. The dogs alert their deaf owner to sounds we take for granted providing greater independence, confidence and security.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Hearing Dogs for Deaf People 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 please sponsor me today and help me reach my target which will give me more encouragement to do the training that is currently underway for my first time Marathon attempt!

It will be very much appreciated