On New Year’s Eve 2015, I made a New Year’s resolution alongside my best friend Anna that I would continue the running journey that I had started in the summer of that year. Tragically, when Anna passed away exactly 3 weeks later at the age of 16 from an inoperable brain tumour I tried to think of happier times, and this sparked a memory from 2012 when I was 12 years old and Anna was 13.  Whilst we were playing badminton in her garden I made a bet with her that by the time I was 16 I would have been on a date and kissed Harry Styles from One Direction (yes, I realise how ridiculous that sounds but in my defence I was only 12) and the forfeit for not doing so was to pay Anna £10,000.  Very sadly Anna wasn’t there to see me reach 16 and passed away 2 weeks before my birthday and although I know she would never had held me to the bet, I decided that I wanted to use running as a way to give something back to the charities that had supported Anna during her difficult times and to support “The Anna Wilkinson Mockingbird Trust” a charity set up by Anna’s parents Wendy & Chris & sisters, Jessica & Elizabeth. Since 2015 I have continued to run, more off than on at some points but during this time I have completed 3 half marathons, numerous 10k’s and parkruns, thinking of Anna as I run whilst raising money towards my £10,000 target.  Every year since 2017 I have entered the ballot with the ultimate aim of running the London marathon (VLM).  This year the day after my 21st birthday I got an email urging me to check my ballot place via the website.  I half-heartedly logged on, it took ages to load but eventually the words “Congratulations you’re in” appeared – I checked it several times in disbelief and it was still the same.  So there it was, I’d got myself a place to run the VLM – 26.2 miles of running.  So, terrified I put my ”big girl” running pants on and got myself a serious training plan, thanks going to my fabulous running club at Cleobury Mortimer (CMRC) and in particular Andie Ford, who writes my plans.  At this point I am 18 weeks into the plan with 16 still to go.  So, the purpose of this page and my waffling is to ask you if you’d be kind enough to support me and this fantastic, small, local charity.  I have never run a marathon before and to be honest I’m quite scared but who knows this may be the start of a beautiful relationship with marathon running……….. watch this space!  Thank you for taking the time to read to the end.  

To Anna, I love and miss you but I'm getting closer to raising that £10,000 that I owe you, after all a promise is a promise.