On Sunday 2nd October 2022 I will be running the London Marathon. 

I am pretty new to running (and fitness in general) but after discovering it has a pretty magical effect on my mental health and general wellbeing, it's become a regular part of my life. After applying to run last autumn in a possibly overly ambitious moment, and somehow miraculously scoring a place, the London Marathon will be my first race. As they say, go big or go home.

This is a big deal for previously very sedentary me, and while the training is wonderful for the brain, it's quite the challenge for the rest of me. So, I wanted to take the opportunity to try and do some good with it and raise some money for an excellent cause. I've chosen a small charity as even a small amount raised will be helpful; I know funds are tight for everyone right now but any donations would be gratefully received! 

Since 2015, the Lemon Tree Trust has supported refugees and communities of forced migrants, to create home and community gardens, garden competitions and education projects. Working with like-minded organisations and partners, we empower people from the ground up to improve their wellbeing and their environment, with a particular focus on women coming together as a community to affect change.

Gardening has the power to positively address issues of isolation
and mental health. For displaced people globally, the simple act of
gardening produces beauty, restores dignity, creates community and
offers opportunity.

• £1 gives a family a packet of vegetable seeds 
• £5 provides a family with a basket of nutritious produce harvested from a Lemon Tree Trust community garden
• £10 funds a Home Garden Starter Kit for a new family arriving in the camp, containing a Home Garden Manual, seeds, tools, a grow-bag and a children’s gardening activity
• £20 gives a family a lemon tree providing shade and fruit
• £100 provides 4 schools with a Children’s Garden Starter Kit for classrooms
• £1,000 purchases a new polytunnel for one of our community gardens