As many of you will already know, my dear step-father Chris Lake died of cancer in May last year.

This March, Joe and I will run the Bath Half Marathon to raise money for the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home charity. Due to the devoted Iain Rennie nurses, Chris was able to remain at home with us during the final weeks before he passed away. The cancer progressed with vicious speed, allowing us only a few weeks together from diagnosis to the day he died. Being able to have Chris at home surrounded by the people who loved him and the place he knew (rather than shipping him off to an anonymous hospital with visiting-times and strange faces) was immeasurably precious to us all. We simply could not have done it without the round-the-clock support of the Iain Rennie nurses.

To go some way towards thanking the devoted volunteers who keep this vital charity going, Joe and I are currently training like mad in preparation for race day. On Sunday 11th March we will be running our socks off for thirteen miles and probably hating every minute of it! If you could spare even a small amount to help us on our way -even what you'd spend on buying us a drink- we'd be truly thankful.

Photos of us in lurid lycra outfits to follow...

Thanks for all the support and kind encouragement so far.

Love Harriet and Joe