I am Natty, I am 37 years young.

My first memory of school is bolting down the playground and my teacher saying,  'Natalie Harrison you are always running.'

Friday the 30th of January 2015: I am on the train. A post on Facebook flashes up from a friend of mine, would I be interested in running the London Marathon? I flick over the post as the I do the words children, ecoguards,education, empowered, and performance arts hit a nerve. I look at the pictures of the kids in Madagascar-my heart melts. I don't think why, I just think I'm in!

A few days later: The velocity of it all hits me. I've run on and off all my life. I dream of running...literally but I run just for me. I read the post again. I cry...Yes I am definitely in! I believe that if around the world we all made little changes we could make a big difference to the state of things right now. I want to help make that difference. I am a mother, I want to see the next generation rise up in the face of adversity and make a better world.

I've never run a marathon (though believe me I can clock up some miles). I am scared. I look at the pictures again. My five year old daughter says, 'Mummy I want you to do this, I believe you.' I laugh she means 'I believe in you' but with that I know I can do this.

Tusk Trust is a small dynamic organisation focusing on endangered species protection and poverty alleviation in Africa and they have been funding C3's Junior Ecoguards network in Madagascar since 2012. Our Junior Ecoguards are children aged between 11 and 16 years old from remote, marginalised fishing communities where most people survive on less than a dollar a day.

These children are being empowered by environmental education and training and performance art to spread conservation messages and activities across their communities by means of a travelling theatre. They have had great success with proven positive impacts in increasing local knowledge about conservation and changing behaviour (e.g stopping sea turtle poaching) which helps protect their endangered species and habitats for the future. They also directly get involved with protection of coral reefs, mangrove forests and seagrass beds, all essential resources for their main food source; fish and seafood. Their work has been recognised as innovative and exemplary by several international awards.

With approximately £2000 that we hope could be raised through sponsorship for the London marathon we could treble our impact in 2015, recruiting and training 100 new Junior Ecoguards across remote areas of northern Madagascar. We could purchase new costumes and cover the costs of hiring 4x4 vehicles to reach areas where no public transport exists and where dirt roads are in terrible condition in the dry season and impassable after heavy rains.

For more information about C3's work in Madagascar, please visit http://c-3.org.uk/category/madagascar-2/