I am taking on a half marathon as part of the Great Manchester Run this September in memory of my mum Pauline to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. 

As those close to my family know my mum sadly died earlier this year around 18 months after she was diagnosed with lung cancer. There’s no ignoring mum’s death still feels very raw and it hurts every day but I just want to try to do a little thing to help support a vital charity. 

Mum loved life and following her diagnosis we wouldn’t have shared the precious time together we did without funding for cancer research. As painful as things have been I’m so thankful for that time we had. 

So, hopefully I can raise a little bit of money for Cancer Research UK when I stagger sweating around the Manchester city centre course in September. I’ve not ran long distances for quite some time and my body has seen better days but I’ll give it my best shot - however long it might take!

I’ve set a fundraising target of £300 and if that’s met I’d like to personally double that figure of £300 to show a little appreciation to those who donated and to ensure the charity gets a little more money. 

I just want to say thank you to so many people who were there for mum during her illness, in so many different ways, despite the issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It’ll always mean so much to me to see how loved she was. Thank you also to those who have given me support when times have been tough. 

Away from the marathon, I know lots of family and friends have asked about doing something collectively for charity in memory of mum. We are possibly looking at signing up for the Shine Night Walk on Saturday, October 30 happening in Manchester city centre. That might be quite a nice thing to do as a group possibly. 

The link for that is here - https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/find-an-event/charity-walks/shine-night-walk/manchester

We can work details out for that nearer the time but potentially a date to keep free for anybody interested. 

For now, I best get my trainers on and get a bit of practice in before the half marathon. 

Thanks for your support

Craig xxx