I am a big fan of a personal challenge. Before 2014, I had never run anywhere, never done any regular exercise, and had previously been told that I ran like a kangaroo (further up than across with each bound...). And then I set myself a challenge to run a half marathon in 2014 and I made it in 2 hours 17 minutes. Against all the odds, it felt amazing! It turns out that I actually enjoy running. I find it liberating and exhilarating, and I love how starting running has changed my relationship with my body.

So I have decided to take it to the next level and am running a full marathon in October this year...and I am frankly terrified!

I have picked a great charity to support and that is making it much easier to persevere with my training.

Sam Beare Hospice and it's sister hospice in Woking provide the most extraordinary support exactly when it is needed most - when illness becomes overwhelming, when symptoms become suffering, when death becomes a 'when' rather than an 'if.' They help the patient, they help their families and, honestly, they have helped me!

I'd love to raise as much money as possible to ensure that they can continue their work both in their hospices and in the community so I'd be really grateful if you could support me on this marathon and donate to this extraordinary charity.

Thank you in advance!

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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.