Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am incredibly excited to be raising money for the Anna Freud Centre. Mental Health has always been an interest and a passion of mine - understanding it and constantly striving to support it in both myself and others - so this is a perfect fit. 

The statistics around mental ill health within our society are frightening, particularly those that concern children and young people. The Anna Freud Centre is a wonderful charity, working hard to accelerate change and understanding in mental health so all children, young people and their families have access to the help they need. I have admired them for many years - their scope, their innovation and their desire to create change for children and young people is something I have always wanted to be a part of, immersing myself in as much of their efforts as I can. I am now, therefore, extremely proud to be fundraising for them.

I have also always wanted to run the London Marathon; having watched on the sidelines for years, it never fails to bring tears to my eyes to see the sheer strength and camaraderie of the runners on what definitely seems to be one of life's biggest physical and mental challenges. Every year, I say to myself that next year I'll be one of them.

Next year, next year... You know how it goes.

And then, all of a sudden, 'next year' is now. Earlier this week I was lucky enough to secure a place (at the time of writing, it's 18th August 2022).

Absolutely thrilled about the opportunity, it has taken a few days to sink in that this has actually left me with just under 7 weeks in total to train...I'm trying desperately not to think about this reality too much but this is actually quite hard considering I'm having to train every day - my Fitbit has no idea what's hit it - and it's already taking a serious toll on my toes. 

Add to the equation the fact that I have had some fairly significant health issues over the past year or so, and for the entire month of July I sat on the sofa doing no exercise whatsoever because of post-op recovery, then the challenge that lies ahead is a big one. This is a huge driving force in my motivation though, and a goal that I am determined to achieve. 

I have no doubt that any pennies that you could send this way in support of the Anna Freud Centre will motivate me through training to work my absolute hardest, physically and mentally, and will be what I cling onto, I'm sure, during the darker times of the marathon (I hear Mile 16ish is a shocker).

Thank you SO much for your support and I leave here an open invitation to you to come along on the day and cheer me on Sunday 2nd October!