I last ran the Brighton Half Marathon in 2016, a couple of months after having a mastectomy. It wasn’t easy and I wept as I finished.

Four years on I’m running it again, this time happily fit and healthy, to raise funds for a loneliness charity.

The years I had breast cancer were the loneliest of my life.  I didn’t recognise myself for a long time. I was a single mum and it was at this time I most needed support - I felt debilitated by isolation and I could barely leave the house at the darkest points.

Things are very different for the boys and I now. Good health (mental and physical) is everything and I appreciate that every day.

In our lifetimes we will all have periods of loneliness and/or isolation whether through experiencing a loss of some kind, or because of difficult health challenges or as we get older we may just need more connection. Our younger generation need support too. There are all kinds of circumstances and challenges that can impact our lives and make us feel lonely and isolated from others. This summer we had a street party and realised a few of our elderly neighbours barely saw anyone in their day to day lives. 

This is where loneliness charity Together Co can help...

Why am I running to raise money for Together Co?

Together Co is the only dedicated loneliness charity in our city operating the largest one-to-one befriending service in the UK. They also work with GP surgeries across Brighton and Hove to offer social prescribing to help people facing huge challenges to find places and people they need to feel happier and healthier. 

Together Co services are uniquely powered by over 400 incredible volunteers who give their time every week to help someone who otherwise would be chronically lonely. Last year, this amounted to more than 14,000 hours with over 1,000 people receiving help.

Demand for these services is increasing and Together Co needs more fundraisers raising money in all kinds of ways to enable them to reach more people in need. This has never been more important in an increasingly financially challenging environment. 

Any contribution is greatly appreciated - every pound helps!

Just £10 could fund the travel cost of two volunteers to visit someone experiencing isolation. 

£25 could pay for a volunteer to get vital training so they can best support the person they visit.

 £50 could pay for a worker to carry out a home assessment of an isolated person to assess their needs.

In a city of nearly 300,000, no one should be lonely or socially isolated. Together, with your support, I can help a little bit, or maybe alot, to make sure no-one is! 

Thank you lovely people x