Thank you for visiting my fundraising page!

What a difference a year makes.  On the morning of the 2008 Flora London Marathon I woke up feeling a tad delicate on my friend Stu's couch, then had to jink around runners (easier said than done!) whilst crossing Commercial Road to get home.  Fast forward to the 2009 event and I shall be one of those runners having to dodge the unwashed, drunken stop-outs who are staggering home across the route... Who'd have thunk it!

Yes, my good mate Graeme and I are running the 2009 Flora London Marathon on Sunday 26th April (his page is here).  Setting aside the 26.2 miles of pain on the big day for now, we are looking at 15 weeks of training - which so far has involved sub-zero temperatures, snow, sleet, ice and rain - over 430 miles of running (seriously!) and - the biggest sacrifice of all - no booze for nearly 4 months!  (well, maybe the odd one, no-ones perfect...)

Obviously we aren't just doing it for a laugh... the marathon is all about raising money for worthy charities and I am both delighted and proud to be running on behalf of Bag Books (www.bagbooks.org).  This amazing organisation is the only one in the world that publishes and promotes the use of multi-sensory story packs for people with the most profound and severe learning disabilities.  I asked my Mum, who has had first-hand experience of Bag Books, for a comment and she had this to say:

"As a teacher of pupils with special needs, nothing has given me greater pleasure and delight than observing their responses to a Bag Books story.  The clever use of sensory materials to stimulate sight, sound, touch and smell really support and extend communication skills whilst providing the kids with a thrilling experience".

And believe me, my Mum is always right.

If you still aren't convinced then how about this... donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Bag Books 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.  Everyone's a winner!

So if you want to make me as happy as I am in that cheesy picture on the left then please sponsor me now.  Any donation, no matter how big or small, will be wholeheartedly appreciated by myself and the folks at Bag Books.

Cheers,

Neil