Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Having taken to running only when in my forties, the Great North Run half marathon represents my greatest challenge to date.

In May I raised £200 for Guide Dogs by completing the Manchester 10km run and my fund-raising target this time is to raise twice this amount by running twice as far (plus an extra mile for good measure!).

I've chosen to raise funds for Guide Dogs as, in my veterinary work, I witness first-hand the difference a guide dog can make to the lives of blind and partially-sighted people. Guide dogs enable their owners to enjoy the freedom of getting around on their own - something sighted people take for granted. In addition, as with many pets in general, these dogs provide wonderful companionship to their owners.

It costs £10 a day to breed, train and support each guide dog partnership and the lifetime cost of a guide dog from birth to retirement is currently £49,800. The Guide Dogs charity relies entirely on voluntary donations to fund its services, so every penny raised will help contribute towards making a life-changing difference to blind and partially-sighted people.

Please sponsor me for any amount you can and wish me luck on the 18th September - I promise to "dig deep"!

Many thanks,

Nick.

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 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.