Thanks for visiting.  I realise I've set this up at short notice.  So I'll be running in the Seville Marathon 2019, and once again I'm gonna target 3 hours (which probably won't happen but one can try!)  I don't usually ask for donations for my running, but on this occasion I was asked by someone very close to me to support this cause, and i think it's extremely worthwhile, particularly as hardly anyone knows about this surprisingly common illness, including many of the people (mainly women) who actually have it.  

In brief, Lipoedema is a chronic disease characterised by excessive fatty tissues, mainly in the hip and leg regions, which can be painful and bruise easily.  It generally shows first symptoms at puberty or other times of hormonal change, and can have a sever impact on quality of life and physical and mental wellbeing.  It is often misdiagnosed as lymphoedema or just obesity, however diet and exercise will not control it, and currently the only truly effective cure is surgery.

The problem with that is that the NHS will currently only view this surgery as cosmetic, forcing women to pay thousands of pounds to go through it.  This is clearly ridiculous, as the illness can affect mobility to the point where the sufferer could even be wheelchair bound.

Lipoedema UK are raising awareness of this condition to make it easier for women to get accurately diagnosed, as well as to hopefully find a cure for this nasty disease.  So I hope you'll agree it's a bloody good cause!