After 10 years of trying and failing through the ballot (I have the London Marathon running tops to show for it!) or being unsuccessful in applying for charity places, IT HAS FINALLY HAPPENED!!

2018 is the year I will be running the London Marathon in aid of ACT and I can't wait. In 2017 I pushed myself (and my one and a half lungs) to Annapurna Base Camp and beyond. 

My early training has already told me that this 26.2 miles is going to be even more of a challenge, even with the 3 stone weight loss since Annapurna.

Thank you so much in advance for anything you can afford to give and please do take the time to read a little about ACT and their fantastic work below:

ACT provides grants and support for children up to the age of 21 as a benevolent organisation. They help 220 children at present. Some are orphans, others are fighting illness such as cancer, some have been abused, others need sponsorship to pursue their talents. ACT gives grants to children and offers advice and support through the difficult times, however varied and challenging. They've been established for 120 years and I'd love for my fundraising, sweat and (no doubt) tears to give something back to the Charity to helps secure its future. 

A few examples of their great recent work include:

- Long-term emotional support, and funding to try to make life bearable, for an 11 year old girl who's been in Great Ormond Street for 6 months, with frankly a worsening prognosis rather than good treatment, and who almost died in November. Life is so grim that she says it was better when she had a colostomy and "only had pain" rather than all the infections she has now. ACT gets to know most families well -- "birth to graduation" often -- so, besides grants, we can do silly things like smuggle this child's pet dog to the hospital so she can be wheeled down to see it in reception without the staff noticing. And serious things like attend Consultant meetings with the actor-mother to try to get better care, answers, anything.

- A woman whose husband has just died of cancer -- funding to ensure stability for her two daughters at school and at home.

- Childcare and crisis support for a family who has adopted a young girl with challenging behaviour because of childhood neglect and abuse. And working on the mum's behalf to secure proper counselling and funding from her borough.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.