Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am running my first ever half marathon - the Great North Run - in Newcastle on 7 September. 

I am running it in memory of Mat's cousin Arabella and my dad Mike, who both died suddenly and unexpectedly from cardiac arrests. They are missed every day.

Arabella died in May last year, aged 16 and days before she was due to sit her GCSEs. She was joyful, fun-loving, clever and beautiful - a real ray of sunshine who brought such love and laughter to every family occasion. Tests showed she was healthy, and there was no known cause for her death.

Mike died in February 2000, just a few weeks after retiring at the age of 62. He had gone for a sleep in the afternoon and never woke up. He never got the chance to fully enjoy his retirement, spend some quality time with his family and meet his two grand daughters. His sudden loss took me, my sister, brother and mum a long time to come to terms with. 

My dad at least had lived long enough to fulfil his potential. According to CRY, 12 people under the age of 35 die each week from sudden cardiac arrests - some are due to undiagnosed heart conditions, others like in Arabella's and my dad's case are inexplicable.

CRY is an important charity that is working hard to reduce this number. As well as offering vital counselling services, which helped Arabella's mum Clare in the months after her loss, CRY also supports important clinical research and a screening programme. The money you donate will be spent on furthering this vital work.

Thank You xxxx