I'm running the Royal Parks Half Marathon for #TeamStroke! 

The thought of a half marathon is frankly terrifying having never run further than 10km in my life but this cause is incredibly close to my heart so I am lacing up my shoes and plodding out there!

In February 2020, my wonderful Nana (aka The Duchess) suffered a stroke and was hospitalised, loosing her ability to speak and much of her fine motor function. I had never known anyone suffer a stroke and was floored by how quickly it happened and the impact it had on her.

Thankfully, Nana received excellent support and slowly recovered her movements and most of her speech though will never regain full function. Trying to teach a 90 year old ex-teacher how to talk again was no easy feat and often ended up like a game of 20 questions! 

What I didn't know is that there are are over 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK, with 100,000 strokes happening in the UK each year. That's one stroke every five minutes. 

Stroke Association believes everyone deserves to live the best life they can after stroke and provide vital services, campaign for better stroke care and fund research into preventative and rehabilitative treatments. 

Your donations will support their incredible work and help to rebuild lives after stroke like Nana. Thank you!