Who would've thought I'd ever run a half marathon?  Not me, but I am.  I'm running the Reading Half Marathon on the 17th March.  But why?  Well...

It's fair to say that I haven't looked after myself over the years and last year I finally realised that. The donuts and cake have taken a back seat and through eating properly, I've started to shed the weight that I've been hauling around all this time.  Wanting to get fit at the same time, I'd quietly started running as well and this is when brother Alex suggested that I run the Reading Half Marathon and raise money for St Wilfrid's Hospice.  The challenge was set.

Back in 2000 when Mum was nearing the end of her courageous and dignifed battle with cancer, she went into St Wilfrids.  We saw at first hand the amazing work the charity does, not just for it's patients but also with compassion towards the families of those people too.

13 years on, I miss Mum as much as I did back in that August and I want to use the run in Reading to raise money to help St Wilfrid's continue to help families like it did for us Firths.  All care they offer is free of charge, regardless of the patient's circumstances and the NHS only provides 15% of the £3.5 million the hospice needs to run each year.

There are now plans to open a new hospice building by November 2013.  Currently it only has 10 beds and can't meet the demand there is around Eastbourne for it's services.  The new 20 bed building will double the care they can provide.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.  Whether you're a friend, or you're family, or you're a very generous listener to the breakfast show I turn up and 'work' on every morning, I really appreciate it.  Donating is simple, fast and totally secure.  Your details are safe - they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. And once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to St Wilfrid's and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. 

And if you go on to donate - thank you very much!  You'll be helping some great work and inspiring me to cross that finish line in Reading in a blur!

Richie