Thank you for visiting my JustGiving page. 

I'm running for the charity I volunteer with - the UK Centre for Animal Law (A-law) as they do essential and valuable work to improve legal protection for animals. 

Humans have evolved from simple subsistence living to our current age of consumerism - our constant quest to enhance our lives far beyond our basic needs. This comes at great cost to other animal species, since industrialisation has enabled their extensive commoditisation in numerous ways. We are also starting to see unintended consequences on human health from zoonotic disease transmission and on our climate from large-scale animal agriculture.

Animals today endure significant and widespread suffering in many human-created settings ranging from factory farming through to entertainment, sport and fashion. In science, animals are routinely used as experimental test subjects even where valid non-animal methods exist.  Our society increasingly recognises that animals are sentient and should broadly benefit from some minimum protection. Sadly this is not meaningfully reflected in the lives of billions of animals worldwide, as the human quest for profitability and efficiency routinely takes precedence over animal welfare standards. 

Awareness and legal protection are key to improving matters. Animal law is an emerging, niche field and A-law plays an important role here by delivering education through its regular journal as well as podcasts, blogs and conferences. A-law also feeds into public policy consultations and highlights areas for potential law reform. These activities are supported by a virtual forum for lawyers, students, academics, charities and others interested in animal protection to harness collective expertise for the benefit of animals. 

This will be my 2nd marathon - my 1st being a few years ago, following decades of a very sedentary life. Starting an exercise regime after that was life-changing but not without its challenges (as I found out last time, pretty much limping and yelping my way through from mile 7), and I've had more injuries and issues than most. 

However, I'm nothing if not stubborn, and will give it my best shot, even though this time it will mean a run/walk strategy. A marathon is a mental challenge as well as physical, and for sure any small donation you can make to this cause so close to my heart will help me find the strength to get round. And all contributions (less the JustGiving fees) will go to the charity, as this is a ballot place rather than one the charity has to pay for.

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''l send your money directly to the charity. So its the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.