Welcome, welcome, welcome!

Those close to me know I love to run! But this year I am taking things further by running my first ever half marathon (I know, I am terrified too...). Luckily I am also stubborn and determined (it's the aries in me), so I will run those 13.1 miles, yes I will!! 

I am currently training five times a week and running lots in the hopes of outpacing my fear! It's going well, but I know I can do better! Which brings me to you and to

the main reason I have signed up for this madness:

I have been lucky in that I have always had the support of family and friends to pursue my goals and further my skills to allow me to lead a fulfilled and independent life! Unfortunately, many young  women are not so lucky.

Young Women are at the highest risk of being trapped in poverty and are greatly impacted by policies of austerity and cuts!

More than that, a lot of young women who are economically inactive are carers and are dependent on partners and family members. Young women are deserving of living full, fulfiling, independent lives!

This is where Young Women's Trust comes in!

They support and represent women aged 16-30 struggling to live on low or no pay in England and Wales and who are at risk of being trapped in poverty.

So, given how much support both financial and emotional I have received in my life I have decided to give back. I am running the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon to fundraise for and support the efforts of the Young Women's Trust. You can find out more
about them here. 

As a young woman I know the importance of being financially independent and being able to make positive choices for myself. So I'll do the running, and sweating and being out of breath and if you just donate a little money to ensure that young women in the UK will continue to be independent, I will run that much faster!!!

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please give generously and if I am not totally out of breath I will give you a shoutout when I cross that finishing line!

Many thanks,

Lioba