Hello everyone,

So, if you've come to this page you've already worked out that I'm running the Leeds Half Marathon on the 9th May 2010 and you're hopefully here to donate to the Alzheimer's Society, the charity I've chosen to raise money for :)  I'm already very grateful that you're here, but I'll tell you a little bit more about why I'm running for this charity and a little bit more about where your generous donations end up...

I initially decided to run the half marathon as a personal challenge. I've been training for around 2 months and was only going to do it for a bit of fun, if you could call this grueling 13.1 mile event fun! (It's like running from Liverpool to Carr Mill Dam just past St. Helens for all you North-westerners!) But since then I've realised that it's a great chance to raise money for a really good cause, a cause that's definitely affected my family over the last few years. After a number of years with the disease, my Gran moved into a specialised home in November of last year as her Alzheimer's had got to a point where she could no longer live independently. My Gran is lucky as she has 4 children who all love and care for her, making the care and attention needed manageable as her Alzheimer's progressed. Yet many people aren't as lucky and need support from elsewhere.

As well as funding research into this degenerative disease, the Alzheimer's Society run a helpline for sufferers and carers. It's an invaluable resource and needs thousands of pounds each year to keep it running.

I'm hoping to raise a modest ₤100, anything below is great; anything above, even better!!

I really think it's a good cause... So, please, please, please help me raise some money!!

Love, JO

Here's a bit off their website:

"Dr Susanne Sorensen, Head of Research

Dementia research is seriously under-funded. The government invests eight times less in dementia research than cancer research. If nothing is done now, one million people will develop dementia in the next 10 years. Even by delaying the onset of dementia by five years, we could halve the number of deaths from this devastating condition. We must invest in research to defeat dementia."

If you want more, go to www.alzheimers.org.uk

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.