Hello there friends, colleagues and beautiful strangers..

Both myself and my colleague Dave are running the Greater Manchester Run 2013 for Refuge. It's on my 26th birthday, meaning rather than lying hungover in bed I will be sprinting around Manchester with thousands of other maniacs :) 

NOW, I must emphasise that I never ask for donations for anything and I have never run 10k before so that has to be worth something! 

Refuge is a charity very close to my heart. Domestic violence is a poisonous disease that rots away under the surface of too many relationships. It can take many forms, from physical abuse to torment and mind games. Children suffer at the hands of abusive relationships, seeing their mother weak, distressed, broken; wondering why this person they love unconditionally doesn't love them back. 

Please give what you can to this worthy cause. I wish I didn't have to raise money for it, I wish it didn't exist, but it does. This money will save lives. This money will give these women their voice back.

So, don't get me a birthday present this year, instead please donate to Refuge and support Dave and I on our mad Manc run. 

Here is an idea of what could be provided with your generosity instead of traditional birthday gifts:

• Just £10 (a bottle of wine) can pay for an hour-long activity session for a group of children living in a refuge
• £30 (some posh toiletries) can enable an independent domestic violence advocate to work with a woman to create a plan to keep her safe
• £100 (an iPod - I know, I think highly of myself) can fund a local support group session for ten women who have experienced domestic violence

Our grand total could even help Refuge pay for the below.. 

• £350  could pay for a training workshop for 20 women, helping them to enter employment and regain their independence
• £500 could help pay for 3 women and their children to access a place of safety in a refuge, giving them the time and space to start rebuilding their lives
• £2,500  could help support specialist domestic violence services for approximately 5 women and their children from minority ethnic groups.  Women and children from minority ethnic groups often face a different set of pressures and can find it difficult to access mainstream services

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 give what you can. Thanks so very much x