I am running the Virgin Money London Marathon 2017 in loving memory of my amazing mum who dedicated her time so generously as a volunteer counsellor at ChildLine for nearly 10 years following her retirement as a Special Needs Teacher. She was passionate about helping children and got involved in every aspect of ChildLine - offering emotional support and guidance to children by phone and online; interviewing for new volunteers; mentoring trainee counsellors and visiting schools to promote the service. She was a genuine ambassador of ChildLine and her passion and enthusiasm was truly inspiration to many - so much so that her memory was recently honoured by ChildLine in the naming of a new annual award for the most outstanding volunteer. The 'Janice Gowlett Award' will be awarded each year to a volunteer who demonstrates the kind of dedication and passion for ChildLine that my mum did. My family and I were honoured to be invited along to ChildLine's 30th Birthday celebrations back in October 2016, where it was unanimously decided by the other volunteers that my mum should win the first year of the award - presented by the amazing Dame Esther Rantzen, the Founder and President of ChilldLine.

I want to continue my mum's legacy by running the marathon and raising vital funds for this charity which was so close to her heart. With your support ChildLine will be able to:

- Recruit and train more counsellors, cutting down the queuing time for children waiting to get help - just £4 could pay for a child to speak to ChildLine.

- Introduce email-only teams who can respond more quickly to children that contact ChildLine online.

- Invest in better technology that will mean their counsellors can give consistent support at a time when children need it most.

Having never been a runner before I know this will be a massive challenge but I am completely committed - I am even foregoing any significant holidays in the lead up to the marathon which, for those of you who know me well, this is a significant sacrifice!

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page and read my story - and to everyone who has supported me so far.

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.