Back in March I signed up to do a half marathon and since then so many people have asked me if I am fundraising and getting sponsored for doing it. I have decided to raise money for two causes as they both have such significant meaning to, not only me, but to people who are very close to me and everything I raise will go 50/50 between the 2 causes.

Firstly, I am wanting to help a close friend of mine. Her beautiful daughter, Olivia, has severe additional needs as well as an autism diagnosis. She has a unique chromosome abnormality (called 5p deletion) and by unique she's the only one in the world. Olivia is unable to speak and has severe learning disabilities. The family are fundraising to get help for Olivia and get an Autism Assistance Dog to help her with her everyday life. An autism assistance dog would give Olivia (and her family) greater independence and, most importantly, help to make sure she’s kept safe. In addition to keeping her safe, a fully trained AAD can help Olivia in lots of other ways, helping her sensory needs, helping her interact with others, introducing routines, interrupt repetitive behaviour and help her cope with unfamiliar environments. Unfortunately, all this training doesn’t come cheap. The training for an AAD costs over £5k and we are on a waiting list to get one trained for Olivia. If you would like to donate straight to this cause (and read more about it) this is her crowdfunding page https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/olivia-corry?utm_id=108&utm_term=mgA4JPyRY

Secondly, I am raising money for Macmillian Cancer support. I know too many people people who are affected by this horrible disease and I feel it is important to give them the help they need. This amazing charity helps so many people who are affected by cancer and it helps with not only emotional help - seeing people through all stages of their treatment - but also financial and psychological help to all people affected by it (including the families).