In 2024, I said I wouldn't do it again! However the people at Reuben's Retreat can be VERY persuasive!! So much so that 3 of the Cask & Kitchen team have signed up to run alongside (or more likely in front)

Despite another 2 years on the clock, the Great Gout of 2025 and the continual toll of catering for a living, I'll be plodding my once (semi) athletic frame around the streets of Manchester because despite the temporary pain it will no doubt cause, it is nothing compared to the pain of losing a child!

As a parent, we spend a great deal of time teetering between the overwhelming positive emotions children evoke and the constant relief of them returning to school, having a day at grandparents or just being quiet for 5 minutes!

But imagine all that being taken away. When you become a parent your life changes instantly and within weeks, it becomes difficult to remember how it used to be. Imagine life reverting to just that but this time with an emptiness so vast because you've experienced that life changing love that being a parent brings. Could you cope? I'm not sure I could.

To lose a child is undoubtedly one of life's cruellest tricks and we all dream of world where it never happens however the reality for some is much different. I struggle to comprehend the emotional torment and utter devastation for those who do.

That is why we need the incredible people at Reuben's Retreat. These guys are real life, bona fide heroes. Reuben’s Retreat was founded in August 2012, just 2 days after Reuben Graham died aged just 23 months old. His Mummy Nicola created the charity to help others who are facing or already dealing with similar heartbreak, walking side-by-side with families offering emotional and practical support for parents and siblings bereaved of a child and for families of life limited or threatened children who face uncertain futures. To find out more about this incredible charity, please visit their website www.reubensretreat.org or social media channels.