On 17th September, I'm running the English Half Marathon. I've never seen myself as someone who could run that far and up until December last year I had only really 'flirted' with running. I decided that I would run to get myself fit and lose weight and never really wanted to run races or with other people. My friends, Gary and Hayley, convinced me to start going to Park Run in Croxteth Park and the first time I went with them they also dropped the bombshell that afterwards we'd be going down to the Liverpool waterfront to run a few miles with some of their friends who were running a marathon down there! I realised that not only was distance running something I could do but I actually enjoyed it!

A few months later, I found myself signing up to run a half marathon and I decided I would get sponsored for it. I didn't know who I should get sponsorship for and thought about it for a while. I wanted to raise money for a less well-known charity and decided I would raise money for the 14th Walton-on-the-Hill Liverpool North Scout Group. I've been a member of this Scout Group since November 1981 and I've had so many opportunities and learnt so much from everyone I've been lucky to meet there in the 36 years since then.

Any money raised will go towards buying new equipment for our Scout Group. This could be anything from camping equipment to equipment we can use on our meeting nights. In this day and age when young people can get a bad press, it's really important to me that they are given every opportunity to challenge themselves and show the world just how great young people can be.

If you are able to donate, I would be really grateful and I know that the young people would really, really appreciate it too.

Thanks

Neil