Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Unfortunately I couldn't shake a persistent sore throat and cold before the Brighton Half Marathon so very reluctantly but maybe sensibly decided to pull out on the eve of the event - instead I'll be running in the Paddock Wood Half Marathon through the hop fields and orchards of Kent on 1 April, so your kind donations will spur me through that race instead. 

I've been inspired to run for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity after learning at last year's Society of Editors conference about the incredible work of Demetrius Evriviades, a reconstructive surgeon who has rebuilt the faces and limbs of many dreadfully injured military casualities brought to the hospital from Afghanistan. The charity's activities include raising money for facilities at the QEH and Selly Oak hospital so families can be close to patients undergoing gruelling surgery. The charity has spent £10m in the past two years and has helped the hospitals become world leaders in military medicine, cancer treatment, transplant surgery and elderly care.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Once you donate, JustGiving will send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Many thanks, Lis