*Update 27th September*

Well the races are over and what fun we had! Ally and his team all finished in the top 20 and I managed a 51.37 time for the 10K. All of the results are available on www.moorpark10k.org.uk and a list of all the runners is at the bottom of this page.

Many many thanks to the Shutes, Lukas, Jerroms, Piepers, Fairleys, Edwards's and Rose-Seniors for providing great support before and during the event and also for supplying a few tasty athletes! I have updated the photos showing you all how we got on.

We are now on the cusp of a whopping £6,000 in donations. If you are new here, there is still plenty of time to donate, so please do: all the money will still go to The Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre.

The 25th September was an emotional and inspiring day. Over 1000 people coming together to challenge themselves mentally and physically and in doing so, raising funds for a great charity. It was a genuine pleasure to be part of it; what a superb 14 days! I'm off for a beer...

*Update 25th September*

We are just off to the races with the incredible feeling that you lovely people have donated over £5,000 to the Linda Jackson Macmilan Centre! Thank you so much. WOW!

The response has been nothing short of fantastic and I appreciate all of you for your lovely wishes, donations and for spreading the word (Matt was probably responsible for a grand, himself!)

I will update you all later and let you know how we got on; but we are sure to run faster, knowing how much this meant to you all and for your wonderful generosity...

Hi All,

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I will try and make this brief (difficult to believe, I know!) and I apologise in advance to those who may get upset at the content below.

My son Ally (aged 9) and I are going to race on the 25th Sept to raise some money for a cause that is very close to us right now. We have been training hard for the last 5 weeks and plan to give a good account of ourselves. That's the theory, anyway! 

Back in February this year my wife, and Ally's mum, Lyn, was diagnosed with late stage lung cancer and pronounced terminally ill. Following the shock that came with the diagnosis we set about going on with life as normal and enjoying the ride. Lyn was strong and family life remained fairly unaltered outside of hospital visits.

Unfortunately, after 3 good months, Lyn's condition deterioated and in June and the decision was made to give her urgent radiotherapy to her brain. The effects she felt during this were severe and she had to move into the hospice (Michael Sobel House) at Mount Vernon Hospital to manage her pain and other symptoms. Whilst there her condition worsened and she began to struggle with many actions that most of us take for granted.

For nearly four weeks the team of nurses and volunteers that looked after her were absolutely terrific and never less than inspirational. The Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre team provided support, encouragement, care and advice and helped with many challenges that we faced as a family. In particular, they helped Lyn and made her stay so much better than it could have been. From cups of coffee and a chat to haircuts, counselling and advice, the whole team supported her through her ordeal and did all they could to assist.

She is now back at home being an awesome mother and inspirational wife and, of course, the fight to hold the disease back goes on. We continue to get support, as required, from all at Mount Vernon and just knowing that they are there for just about anything, is a source of comfort.

Ally and I hope to raise some money so that the Centre can continue to assist cancer sufferers and their families by providing the wonderful levels of support and encouragement that they gave us all this time round. Every pound you donate will go towards the Centre and be used to help those in the difficult and worrying circumstances that comes with this disease. I will cover the admin costs that arise from using this site.

Thank you so much for reading. Eight weeks ago this race was just a minor passing thought, as we saw the posters on hospital notice boards; on the 25th Sept, Lyn will be cheering us over the finish line, thanks to some wonderful people.

James & Ally X

*UPDATE 20th September 2011

Wow! We got to target this morning and keep going! Thank you everyone for your lovely messages and donations. Ally now knows that he has been sponsored for more than a pound for every metre he runs!

Thanks to the friends that are coming to join us to run on the day and are also doing their bit to raise support and funds for this Centre:

Junior Runners

Niamh Shute

Grace Shute

Bradley Jerrom

Jack Shute

Finn Edwards

Adult 10KM

Ellen Rose-Senior

Matt Shute

Michele Shute

David Luka

Offline Donators

Anne Marie Hutchinson

Heath Waller

Gavin Jones

Rolley

Christine and Ed Pieper

Sapna and Rick Kukadia

Team Mappin & Webb Cambridge

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.

So please dig deep and donate now.