I'm taking part in the Great South Run to raise money for children leaving the care system in Portsmouth.

The charity Flying Solo is led by, founded by and exists solely to support children leaving care. Their aim is to improve the life opportunities of anyone who has been in care in Portsmouth.

To achieve this they want to:
• Build a buddy system to support care leavers in their transition out of care.
• Develop a network of supporters from all walks of life to empower young people to get involved in their local communities through outreach, engagement in social action and social enterprise.
• Provide development opportunities to improve the lives of care leavers to enable them to do the extra-ordinary.

In Portsmouth we will have more than 300 people leaving the care of Portsmouth City Council and the number is expected to double over the next 10 years. Support is available from the Council, but it's time limited - so when it stops it can leave young people feeling alone. Whilst many care leavers thrive, building successful lives for themselves, too many care leavers simply can't cope with life in the adult world.

Moving from foster care or residential care into independent living can be a challenging time and young people can feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities of living alone. Many of the services they previously relied on are only accessible up to a certain age. Some young people leaving care will not have friends or family members to turn to. Even with support, some of the brightest will leave care with no educational qualifications because of the level of insecurity in their lives.

Without the safety and stability of support networks care leavers can make poor decisions, and are more likely to become homeless or involved with crime or substance misuse. Flying Solo wants to change that.

Please help me raise money and make a difference for these young people.