For those of you who are not aware I will be running this year’s London Marathon. Once again my chosen charity will be the Stroke Association, a charity which is now very close to home. Although this year, Sian (my sister) is also looking to raise funds with me and whilst she is not running the London Marathon she has agreed (after a glass of wine or two) to take on the Tough Mudder a week later! 　

For those of you who don’t know Tough Mudder is a team-oriented 10-12 mile obstacle course designed to test physical strength and mental grit.

So why are we doing this? I think most of you will be aware but for those of you who are not. My brother in law (Sian’s husband) suffered a stroke January 2014 aged 42 and was admitted to hospital. For those of you who don't know him, Simon is a larger than life character; and was otherwise fit, healthy with an active lifestyle. Not someone who you would "typically" associate with a stroke. It came as a big shock to all our family and friends but also opened our eyes to the effects of Stroke. Thankfully Simon is now on his way to making (hopefully) a full recovery and has improved considerably over the last year.

Every year 152,000 people have a stroke in the UK; shockingly a third of this figure are under the age of 65.　Stroke affects everybody differently, and it is difficult to say how much of a recovery is possible. Many stroke survivors experience the most dramatic recovery during the rehabilitation process.　Rehabilitation is about getting back to normal life and living as independent a life as possible. It involves taking an active approach to ensuring that life goes on for people who have had a Stroke. This can mean helping them to acquire new skills or relearn old ones. Charities such as the Stroke Association are vital in this process.

We want to increase awareness and help raise money for the Stroke association; so that they can continue to work with people like Simon and help many more in the recovery of Stroke.

If you are able to please donate and help us raise money for our chosen charity, remembering to select "Gift Aid".

Best wishes,

Aaron and Sian