Some may call it fate..others may call it a great misfortune! Either way, the ballot has decided that I am running the London marathon 2019. Having been the girl who was always 'substitute' in sport at school, and never previously run further than 10 k, this is going to be a HUGE challenge for me, and will possibly take me until 2020 to finish! Therefore, I can't do this without raising money for charity.

The charity I want to run for is Winchester Go LD- formerly Winchester Mencap. As many of you know, my sister Katie has hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy, leaving her with a permanent mental age of a 3-4 year old. I fully believe that those with a learning disability should not be discriminated against in society, and have witnessed first hand how much Katie and her friends value having a sense of independence and normality. Winchester Go LD helps to support individuals with learning disabilities with housing, household tasks, managing money, work, socialising and any other everyday difficulties. By donating you can help to fund a range activities such as afternoon tea, a support worker at a low-level circuits class at a gym in Winchester or 1:1 staff time to complete a person centred plan.

Without charities like Winchester Go LD, those with learning disabilities will become increasingly socially isolated, and will not get access to services that can help them to flourish as individuals and live life to the full potential that they deserve. Please help me to support this small local charity, which due to government cuts desperately needs more recognition for the fantastic work it does- THANK YOU!!!