I’m running the Great North Run for two causes that mean the world to me: the Injured Jockeys Fund and the Gary Parkinson Trust.

This year, I’ll be taking on the Great North Run alongside my amazing jockey mates, Brodie Hampson and Sarah Bowen, in support of the Injured Jockeys Fund — a charity that works tirelessly to care for jockeys whose lives and careers are impacted by injury. I’ve had the privilege of knowing so many incredible people in this brutally tough sport, and I’ve seen firsthand just how much strength, resilience, and risk is involved every single day. This one’s for all of them.

But this run is also deeply personal.

I’m also raising money for the Gary Parkinson Trust, which supports my dad, Gary Parkinson, a former professional footballer whose life changed forever in 2010 when he suffered a severe stroke that left him with locked-in syndrome. Since then, he’s needed 24/7 care at home in Bolton — care that becomes more difficult to manage every year with the rising cost of living and government cutbacks. My dad’s strength and dignity in the face of such an enormous challenge inspires me every day, and I’m hoping my little effort here can make a real difference for him and our family.

If you can spare anything — however small — it would mean the world. Every donation will help these two incredible causes continue doing what they do best: caring for those who’ve given their all.

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