Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

You may know that my grandmother died recently. She was a wonderful person, who took part in the many things that grandparents help with: picking up my sisters and me from school, and cooking delicious meals. But she also gave us a love of singing – more specifically, of opera. Despite having a contract with Sadlers Wells, as a young woman she made the difficult decision not to pursue a career as a professional opera singer because of family commitments, but she knew the benefits that opera can bring in terms of confidence and the sheer enjoyment it can engender. My gran spent many years taking us to and from singing lessons across town and encouraging us to practice.

My grandmother also taught children in Sunderland and Yorkshire, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, and her skills as a teacher gave her the patience and encouragement to work with us as we learnt to sing. So when trying to think of a charity that encompasses my memories of my gran, a charity that strongly supports music education for both children and adults in the north of England seemed to hit the spot. Opera North runs projects to introduce children to opera and the benefits of singing. It also runs training courses for young people interested in a career in opera. It has a programme helping homeless people to build confidence and networking skills, and a programme to help ex-offenders find employment and training opportunities.

Music charities are sometimes be forgotten but while I take up the challenge of 26 miles, might I ask you to challenge yourself for a moment: is there anyone unable to think of at least one piece of music that you find uplifting and inspirational? And then consider how particularly important it is that young or vulnerable people can have the opportunity to access such inspirational music and the mix of discipline and awe that it can bring.

On May 25th, I will be running the Edinburgh Marathon for the third time. I will be running in memory of my grandmother and for a charity that I believe encompasses her role as a teacher, her love of music, and her sheer delight in the power and beauty of opera. I want to say thank you in advance to contributors to this cause.

I also want to mention, for anyone who is new to JustGiving, that your details are safe here – JustGiving never sell information on, and once you have donated, they send your money directly to the charity.