I have entered the Belper Rover, which is 30k!!! 

Update: due to being unsure if the race would go ahead and changed holiday plans, I have brought this forward to August 2nd and will be completing a more local route. 

Bearing in mind that before 2 weeks ago, the furthest I'd ever run was 5k, this is a massive personal challenge for me! So to give myself even more motivation, I am running to raise money for a charity that I love: UPBEAT COMMUNITIES.

Imagine....

You are in your living room, your eldest daughter is staying at a friend's house. Your husband is at work and the little ones are in bed. The political atmosphere is strained and your 'freedom' is questionable. You get a phone call from your husband telling you that you are all in trouble, enforcers are coming to your house, and you have to get out of the country. NOW. Your daughter doesn't answer her phone. You try 20 times. No answer. You grab a few things and yank the covers off the baby and the toddler....

The next two months is a blur of hot, sweaty survival. You run out of money so are forced to pay in other ways. You struggle to keep the baby quiet and fear that someone will just chuck him off the lorry because you've seen it happen to another mother. You hold him tighter.

You reach the UK and are held in a detention centre and then eventually moved to a city you've never heard of. Another month goes by and you sink into despair. You speak a little English but not the legal jargon that is being thrown at you. You are afraid of the men because of what has been done to you. You have missed your period. You are living in a tiny flat, with rats, not knowing if your daughter or husband are alive. You have no friends to confide in. No clothes for the baby as he grows. 

I cry when I hear these real stories from real women I have met and become friends with. But my tears are not enough. There are things we can do to help. I support UPBEAT COMMUNITIES because I believe that asylum seekers and refugees should be warmly welcomed. Because those fleeing war and persecution deserve community, not isolation.

UPBEAT COMMUNITIES use donations to transform the lives of asylum seekers and refugees by:

befriending new arrivals

running English classes

community building activities such as meals and days out

mentoring to equip refugees for the world of work

baby showers for expectant mothers

temporary accommodation for destitute asylum seekers

refugee family support, providing a safe place for kids to be kids

and more

Please consider sponsoring me. The woman in the story above is my friend and every time I ask how she is, she responds with "I am blessed". Let's make sure others are also blessed and loved, not left in isolation and despair. Your donations can help make that happen.