I have been volunteering for Childline (part of the NSPCC) for almost 3 years now. Childline is a free 24-hour counselling service for all children. The service has helped over 4 million children since launching.  

I am running the London Marathon on behalf of NSPCC because I believe that every child should be listened to and made to feel like they matter. 

Last year alone, Childline’s trained volunteers gave 250,000 counselling sessions. 

- The top three concerns were mental and emotional health; family relationships; and suicidal thoughts and feelings.

- There were over 109,000 counselling sessions about mental and emotional health and wellbeing issues (including self-harm and suicidal thoughts or feelings).

- There were over 5,100 counselling sessions about loneliness and over 5,900 counselling sessions about confidence issues. 

- There were over 19,800 counselling sessions where a child or young person’s main concern was abuse (this includes sexual, physical or emotional abuse and neglect). 

- There were 4,500 counselling sessions about child sexual exploitation.

I am so proud to be part of a charity that gives support to these children who often struggle to get the support they need from elsewhere. The people who volunteer and work at Childline are truly inspirational and the courage, strength and resilience of these children to use Childline shines through every shift.