Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

25th April: today I'm running the Marathon.  Months of training, hundreds of miles later and I'm running the marathon today.  Thanks to everyone who has donated - I'm pleased to have raised so much for the Oxford Oratory through your generosity!! It's for a great cause.  I will update you all on my completion time - and the offline amounts sponsored.  If you search for the marathon tracker time online, I think adidas have made one available.  My running number is 4769 to look out for me or to follow me online!!!!

Four years on from my New York Marathon adventure, I'm back for more!  In an effort to prove that 30 is still young, I've taken on the challenge of the London Marathon and was lucky enough to get a much coveted ballot place.  I've chosen to support 2 charities through this marathon in the hope that my efforts in training for and running 26.2 miles will bring some much needed cash to two very good causes.

One of these charities is "Oxford Oratory: Reaffirmation and Renewal".  Having been baptised in St Aloysuis in 1979 under the Jesuits, my family and I have been part of the parish under the Oratorians for the last 15 years or so, despite living outside the geographical boundaries of the parish.  Like many in the area, we choose to worship at this church because of the reverance of the liturgy and the welcoming nature of the community.

"Reaffirmation and Renewal" is a major fundraising campaign with a target of £5million that will ensure that the Oxford Oratory, together with its thriving congregation, takes its rightful place in the 21st Century as a place of pilgrimage, prayer and peace.  A rogue piece of masonry which fell during a Mass, luckily without injury to anyone (!), brought forward some of the planned redevelopment, and the restoration of the sanctuary has been completed, with stunning results.

The next steps of the project are to raise funds to restore the rest of the church to its original beauty, much of which was painted over in the 1950s, as well as a development of the site to include accommodation for new vocations to the community of priests and facilities for the parishoners to enjoy for generations to come.

In running the marathon, I hope to be able to raise as much as possible to contribute to the £5m target; its my way of giving something back to the parish and to the community who have been great friends and support to me and my family over the years.

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 dig deep and donate now.

For further information about the Reaffirmation and Renewal Campaign, please visit:

http://oxfordoratory.org.uk/campaign/welcome