Ran from castlefield to a roast dinner in Droylsden in 2:03:55 - 13.06 miles - 9:25 mins per mile! And yes the roast beef was the focus for the last few miles ;)

I decided to run both the London Marathon, and the Derby 10k (not on the same day) in April to raise money for two organisations that are really close to my heart. 

Growing up looking after my mum who had chronic physical disabilities and mental health conditions from the age of 5, I didn't realise how much I needed a break from my caring role until I first started getting support from a Carers' Trust (PRTC back then) project. 

That support was from Warwickshire Young Carers and took the form of fortnightly clubs - to give down time and hang out with other young people for a few hours; one to one support - to give me the space to talk through what was on my mind; and short breaks - 3/4 day breaks to go camping or to farms once a year to have the opportunity to try new things, be daring and develop my own stories and confidence outside of being a carer. 

I was inspired by the work the project did to volunteer and later work for them; before going on to be the Young Carers support worker at Coventry Carers Centre. During my time there, developing and delivering many of the services I had benefited from in partnership with the young people using the centre. 

Both organisations are independant but are part of the Carers Trust network. Like many things, there is always strength in numbers. It is Carers' Trust that provides that network and voice to Carers across the UK. It also uses leverages considerable weight (for such a small organisation) to gain access to grants and trusts for it's members - with out these resources many projects would not survive in todays climate of cuts. 

The same principal applies to Young Advisors (www.youngadvisors.org.uk) who I am also running for. Having both volunteered and now working for the charity I see exactly how it is the glue that strengthens a network of 60 indepenant projects. We train and accredit young people to set up their own young advisors businesses in a box, advising adults on how to engage young people better and then provide a whole host of member benefits to help sustain and grow projects.

Young Advisors are typically local young people, such as young carers, who are often under-represented in traditional participation structures and who find it difficult to volunteer due to their circumstances. Paying those young people for their experience not only provides valuable income, flexible employment and experience - it also means that organisations that pay for the service are more likely to implement the advice from the young people. Teams take a slice from these commissions to build a pot that the Young Advisors can invest in - there by turning the tables giving power back to young people. 

Check out some of our case studies to see how this works in practice. (http://www.youngadvisors.org.uk/case-studies) 

 

Derby Young Advisors part of Derby Sporting Futures are the main organiser of the Derby 10k. They wanted to create an event that would get people motivated to get fitter and raise money for good causes that benefit good causes. So I wanted to support them as well as raising funds to support the network 

I believe there is incredible power in supporting small national organisations with massive impacts to invest in creating opportunities for local projects to take full advantage of them in what ever way works best for them and the community they support. Carers Trust and Young Advisors both doing that. They focus their energy on the future and making sure the right people and departments know about the cause so the local projects can get on with changing lives and communities they work in.

For me this is a big awareness raising project so I would really appreciate you sharing my stroy with your friends, familiy, colleagues and social networks. Having never run a marathon before or even been particularly in to running this is going to be quite a challenge for me starting training with just 8 weeks to go. So if you are able to make a donation you can be sure that what ever you give will have a big impact on so many people and communities. 

Some facts: 

- 1 in 4 people are likely to take on a caring role during their life time for someone close to them 

- Young Advisors impact on between 11,000 - 30,000 young people every month

- 3/4 of Young Carers have been bullied because of their caring role 

- Young Advisor projects collectively turn over £2m a year - with around £1.5m being paid out to young people (putting power in local pockets) and £500,000 being invested in to local community projects

- 50% of young carers leave school with less than the minimum 5 A* - C GCSEs with many not falling out of education, training or employment - leading to long term poverty. 

- Young Advisor teams are based in the top 10% most deprived commuinties and estates, employing many young people who have disabilities with in the home or significant caring roles.