I’m running The Loop in Dolanog on Saturday 11 October, a 50km small ultra marathon.

I never set out to run an ultra. With a full-on job, being chair of governors at a school, and chasing after two young boys, I often wonder how people manage to fit in the training. But when I saw this race started and finished in Dolanog, the little corner of Wales where Emily and I got married and built so many precious family memories, I couldn’t resist. Luckily, I have a very understanding wife who covers the gaps in my parenting while I’m out running.

This time, I want to raise a bit of money for Dolanog’s village hall. It’s the heartbeat of the community, hosting meetings, children’s parties, and my personal favourite, the monthly coffee morning. Places like this matter because they hold communities together. Right now, the hall needs new windows, and it gets very cold in Wales during winter.

So if you can spare anything, please do. You’ll be helping the village stay warm and connected. And if nothing else, you can donate either in the knowledge that I’ll be in a world of pain over the final 20 kilometres, or for the bigger sacrifice Emily made when she agreed to marry me.