On Sunday 28th May I am running the Manchester 10km for Francis House. This is a children's hospice down the road from where I live in Manchester.

My dad died suddenly on March 3rd this year. It was unexpected and a huge shock to our family. He was happy, cheerful, incredibly kind and generous. I miss him so much. We saw each other a lot and he was always popping over for a cup of tea and a chat which would turn into a good laugh.

He did a lot for his community and for local charities. He was a member of the Civic Society, founded Didsbury Car Show and Didsbury Guitar Trail both of which raise money for local charities. I chose Francis House as my charity because this is the one that was most dear to him. He used to volunteer at their charity shop on Saturdays when I was growing up. 

On the rare occasions he was sad it was usually to do with the unfairness of the world, especially when children were sick and suffering from life threatening and terminal conditions. You would often hear him say, 'It should have been me instead.' Well, in the spirit of storytelling it would be lovely to think that somewhere out there a child was spared in return for my dad going in their place. He would have liked that and seen it as a great honour.

So. I shall be running in memory of my amazing dad and to raise money for his favourite charity. Francis House will be grateful for any donation no matter how small. It's the little things in life that matter after all, like a cup of tea with your dad.

Thanks very much,

Anna