Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I have chosen The Friends of the Cancer Centre because they do such valuable work to help those going through treatment for cancer across Northern Ireland, young and old.

My wonderful mum, Mary, would have celebrated her 72nd birthday on 1 May this year, but, sadly, we lost her to cancer on 15 October 2020.

While Mummy was going through her various rounds of treatment at Belfast City Hospital, the Friends of the Cancer Centre helped to make those long days more comfortable by providing tea, coffee and refreshments and by simply being an important source of support to families going through the same situation.

Cancer has robbed us of a beautiful mother who made our lives brighter just by being there, and we have felt her absence so strongly during the important family occasions such as Christmas and Mother's Day already.

So to mark her first birthday in Heaven, I have decided to challenge myself and my 42 year-old body to run the length of the Portadown-Newry Canal and then back! A distance of 40 miles.

I know it won't be an easy feat but the journey that cancer patients and their families go through every day is so much tougher, so if I can help to make even a small difference to others like my amazing mum, then it will be worth all the pain!

Any donation, however small, would be hugely appreciated, especially as everyone is going through such difficult times at the moment due to COVID-19. And I promise to keep you all updated on how the training is going, so here's hoping the legs hold out!

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.