I never ever thought I would be running a marathon... let alone the London Marathon, but here I am- a few weeks away and ready to launch my fundraising page.

I remember the day that Jo Cox died in 2016 really clearly. Jane, our lovely school receptionist, came into my classroom and calmly asked some of my students to stay in school and wait to be collected rather than walking home to Birstall. We had no idea why until the news later that day.

It would have been very easy for events of that day to have divided the community, but Jo's message of us having More In Common with each other continues to bring the local area together to this day. Every year in June we get together and Run For Jo in the local park, so this year I've decided to Run A Little Bit Further For Jo too!

Jo’s murder sparked a global wave of grief and solidarity. The public reaction to Jo’s death - in the UK and the world - showed that her values of respect, unity and compassion are widely shared. The Jo Cox Foundation inspires and galvanises positive change at local, national and international levels.

So... this is the longest Run For Jo I'll ever do, and if you have a spare few pennies it would be great if you could sponsor me. I promise I'll give it my best shot- I won't be the fastest in the race by a long shot, but I'll run with every bit of my heart and soul!