No, this is not a joke ... I AM RUNNING THE LONDON MARATHON!

Those of you that know me will know there must be a very special reason for me to swap my wine and chocolate for lucozade and trainers.  And you are right ...

One of my dearest friends, ‘Madam’ as she is fondly known, is loved, respected, incredible, inspirational and most importantly the funniest, most loyal friend in the world!  Since September 2001 when I met Shirley she immediately went on my list of 5 friends I would phone at 3 in the morning.  Enough said! 

But what do you do when your friend is poorly with a brain tumour and the doctors don't know how to make her better? 

I wish I had the answer to that question.  But I don't.  Instead I am going to do my bit to help those who have been there every step of the way to help and support Shirley & her daughters through this - The Joseph Foote Trust. 

I thank Shirley for letting me in.  It truly is a privilege to be running this race in her honour.  When the blisters start rubbing and my legs start aching I will be thinking of her, all of those Wednesday afternoons we spent running up & down the netball court ... the chilled white wine we shared on holiday in Turkey ... the sneaky in-between-lesson chocolate bars in the staff room. 

So please dig deep and donate now.

xxxxx

P.S. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.