Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am running the 2010 London Marathon in support of the Down's Syndrome Association. As many people will know, Down's Syndrome is a cause very close to my heart because of my younger sister Rachel, who has Down's Syndrome.

My whole family has always been very active in raising money and awareness for the cause, most recently Mum running the London Marathon in 2009. Next time around both of us will be involved and we'd really appreciate your support.

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The DSA is the ’s biggest charity supporting the Down’s Syndrome community. They provide information, advice and support to people with Down’s Syndrome, their families and interested professionals. It is the only UK charity that deals with all aspects of living with the syndrome.

               

Like many charities, the DSA relies almost entirely on donations and private fundraising efforts to enable it to function. As an example of what your donations may be used for

-         £5 covers the cost of one of the 25,000 information packs the DSA sends out every year

-         £20 provides an hour of telephone support from a trained Information Officer. The charity takes 30,000 calls a year

-         £100 could cover a Development Officer anywhere in England, Wales or Northern Ireland to visit a group of healthcare providers to update them on the latest best practice

-         £1,500 (my fundraising target) could cover the cost of a month’s medical research into projects such as Speech & Languge or Benefits of Exercise for people with Down’s Syndrome

 

You can find more information about the DSA on their website, which is helpfully linked to the side of this page!

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Training Updates

As of 18th January I have run 83 miles in training since securing my London Marathon place. I have 3 half marathons planned before the day itself, as well as long runs at the weekend all around London. If anyone is keen to join me for a run sometime, let me know!

 

On 28th February I completed the Roding Valley Half Marathon in Woodford, Essex. It was absolutely terrible weather, but I got around in 1hr58min, close to a PB for the distance.

 

22nd March - this weekend I did my longest run yet, at nearly 19 miles. I have now done the equivalent of over 10 marathons in 40 training runs since October. I've been out on the roads for over 30 hours since the turn of the year - not bad!

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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.