Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Will you sponsor me to walk the St Albans half marathon?

I'm raising £150 for a project called: Art at Waterside

I’m raising money to help fund an Art Project at the Waterside Centre in Kings Langley: a registered charity offering social, educational, and training opportunities mainly for adults with learning disabilities, including those with additional physical or mental health needs.

The Waterside Centre is close to my heart – getting to know them wouldn’t have happened had I not become ill with Long Covid (I've included the back story below), but I would say they are part of my recovery. I know they will love the opportunity to be even more creative than they already are!

Together, we are applying for funding through a community grant so that I can deliver a project called ‘Art at Waterside’:12 creative arty sessions over 6 months. As part of that we need to make some contributions ourselves – all donations from the half marathon sponsorship will go to the Waterside Centre and be put towards materials and resources for the art project, If we don’t get the funding for the project, Waterside will still put any donations to very good use!

I first worked there when I delivered a six week sketchbook course in 2023, I’ve been back a few times but would love to run another whole programme. The planned project will use art to help the people who Waterside support to make connections with the local environment and community, fostering confidence and enjoyment across various mediums like painting, collage, and 3D art. Focusing on inclusion and mental health support, encouraging both individual and collaborative creations.

Our goals include:

• Creating original works with tailored support, using diverse techniques and tools.

• Exploring new materials and ideas in a supportive space.

• Building teamwork and peer support to deliver a joint community project.

• Enhancing understanding of local surroundings through observation and an end of project exhibition open to the local community

Originally, the reason for me doing the half marathon was personal goal I set myself last year to mark my continued recovery from Long Covid. The date of event is almost exactly 4 years from when the Long Covid started and I spent two weeks bedridden, barely able to even eat or drink. It’s been a long, life changing 4 years.

For the first year I could function for up 2 days each week, spending the other days recovering. I had a lot of physical and mental wellbeing support from the NHS – as well as friends and family. It’s been quite a rollercoaster. Even now, if I don’t pace myself, I will have a week that feels like a hangover – but this happens less and less.

So here we are – I started walking a bit further and a bit faster preparing for the half marathon and I’m feeling really well for it. My target is to complete it in less than 4 hours – when I signed up, the goal was just to finish even if it took over 5 hours. I’ve gone from walking a mile in 23 minutes 6 months ago to 15minutes now. Signing up was such a great decision!

Now I know I can do it, I want to give back!

Thank you for reading this far – if you can donate anything at all, we would be really grateful, and maybe we’ll see you at our exhibition!

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, I will withdraw funds directly. It's the most efficient way to donate and saves time and costs.