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On Saturday 2nd May, a team of eight people will be attempting to run a marathon in aid of GDA. 

However, this will be no ordinary marathon. Instead of running the 26.2 miles together and in one stint, they will be attempting to run it as a relay in under 4 hours. 

Each team member will be running just over 3 miles before passing on the virtual baton, to the next runner. They'll of course be doing this while adhering to the governments social distancing rules. 

So why do this challenge?

Because the charity sector stands to lose £4 billion of funding due to Coronavirus, and sadly GDA is no exception when it comes to taking to a financial hit. 

Now more than ever, people living with deafness, need GDA, and after being at the heart of deafness in Gloucestershire for the last 100yrs they are not going to let COVID-19 stop them now. 

Deafness is often hidden and can have a devastating impact on a person’s physical and mental wellbeing.  The underlying barriers faced include communication, access to information and a lack of deaf awareness in wider society. This leads to an increased risk of social isolation and an associated risk of developing poor mental health as deaf people are twice as likely to experience poor mental health compared to hearing people.

So that's why we're doing this challenge - because deaf people matter and they need us. Anything you can give to help us on our way would be much appreciated and will go a long way to ensuring GDA can continue to be a source of support to thousands of deaf people across Gloucestershire and the surrounding areas. 

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.

Thank you from the Virtual Marathon team