Hello everyone!

As many of you are probably aware (and bored to tears hearing about!), running has become something of an obsession for me.  Running the London Marathon has always been a lifelong ambition, which has burned all the brighter since I started running regularly when the pandemic temporarily halted team sports.

I'm really grateful to Team Breathe / Asthma + Lung UK for giving me the great honour of representing them at the London Marathon.  Asthma + Lung UK has been formed through a merger between British Lung Foundation and Asthma UK.  1 in 5 of us will have a lung condition during our lifetime. There's a new diagnosis every minute. Asthma+Lung UK are the only UK charity that fights for everyone's right to breathe. Every pound I'm able to raise will take us a step closer to a world where everyone has healthy lungs.Just £22 allows one of Asthma + Lung UKs nurses to answer a call on the Helpline, offering potentially lifesaving advice.

This is a charity which is especially close to my heart.  

My Mum is managing a long term condition known as Bronchiectasis which is a lung disease which makes her more susceptible to lung infections and can trigger secondary infections, coughing, shortness of breath and chest pains.  Thankfully she is able to manage this well with support from medical specialists. 

My grandad sadly passed away as a result of Pulmonary Fibrosis - a degenerative lung condition which progressively makes it harder to breathe.  Many of my favourite childhood memories stem from spending time with my Grandad and Granny who often had my brother and I round for sleepovers.  My grandad also invited my brother and I on a number of caravanning holidays - highlights of these trips included stock car racing, trips to the seaside and the time he accidentally got us lost in a field infested with snakes.  My grandad was a perfect role model for my brother and I growing up. He was kind, empathetic, patient (we definitely tested his patience at times) and generous with his time. I owe him a lot for his contribution to my upbringing and for his support of our family.  It will be an honour to run in his memory.

More broadly, reflecting on the difficult couple of years enforced upon society by Coronavirus, I hope that the work supported by Asthma + Lung UK can help drive more positive developments in the treatment and prevention of respirational diseases.

I'd be very grateful for any donations you could make!

For anyone in London on October 2nd I plan to (hopefully) celebrate completing the race with food and drinks at Exmouth Market between Farringdon and Kings Cross - hope to see you there!