Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I appreciate that there are a lot of very deserving causes out there, all vying for your hard earned cash.

Well, I survived...! I managed to get round in 5 hrs 12 mins which was not bad given that I had not trained at all for about 5 weeks due to shin splints. Today Monday 26th I am quite sore pretty much everywhere but relieved that I managed to get round.

The support at the London Marathon is something else, the noise around Canary Wharf in particular was like a football ground and most inspirational. I was most relieved to see Buckingham Palace and The Mall however.

I ran the London Marathon to raise funds to support the the excellent work of Dr Vijay Chakravarti and his small team at the Paediatric Allergy Unit at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow.

My son Christian, now aged 6, has been under Vijay's care since being rushed in to hospital aged just four months with what turned out to be blood poisoning as a result of infected eczema. It transpired that the eczema was caused by an allergic reaction to milk, and in the months that followed we found out that Christian was suffering from multiple and complex allergic reactions to a host of staple foods. Fortunately with Vijay's guidance and support we have been able to manage the problem and, as you can see from the photo, my son is a happy and thriving little boy. He may not ultimately grow out of some of the allergies, but we are able  to cope with the symptoms, at least.

The number of children affected by severe, and potentially life threatening, allergic reactions has increased dramatically in the last ten years. No one knows why this has happened, but the impact on children and their families can be devastating. I know that many families in the East Herts and West Essex area now rely on the support and expert guidance of Vijay and his team to control and manage the condition. I wanted to do my bit to support their magnificent work by raising some cash to help the Department, and hope you can help me achieve this objective.

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.

So please dig deep and donate now. Your cash will be going to a very deserving cause. Please feel free to pass it on to your friends and colleagues. I really appreciate your support.

Thanks and all the best

RON HEHIR