Hello,

In two weeks, I will be donning my tightest Lycra to run the Cambridge Half Marathon.

Whilst it is only 13 miles and therefore inferior to the various Iron Man or glass eating challenge sponsorship requests you will have received recently - one of the cornerstone charities for the Cambridge Half Marathon is Petals - an organisation that Catharine and I feel strongly about.

Petals offers bereavement support to those who have suffered still birth or neonatal loss. When we lost our daughter, Clemmie, at the end of 2017 we were referred to Petals and they gave us invaluable support as we came to terms with what had happened. Sadly, in December we suffered another loss and once again we have been fortunate to have Petals alongside us.

As ‘would-be’ parents attending NCT classes, we are all taught how to change nappies and which end to administer the milk - but there is no discussion about what happens when things don’t go to plan. This is where Petals comes in.

As a double whammy, last year Petals in Cambridge failed to get its core funding. The charity is still offering its services, but this is only possible via money from donations. It would be amazing if we could raise a little money so that Petals can continue to provide their important support.

Anyway, enough of the tin rattling.... if you could sponsor me a few ££s, it would be much appreciated and make the aches and pains of Sunday 8 March more bearable!