Thanks for taking the time to visit my Justgiving page. As lots of you may know I somehow luckily managed to get a space in the London Marathon this year. Some of you may think I’m crazy, I agree! But everyone who knows me will know this will be one of the most challenging things I have ever done. I am willing to try my best and to make this effort and to raise money in order to show how grateful I am for the support that Plymouth Hospital gave my family in one of our darkest times. I know that without their support the journey we all went through would have been a lot harder and I want to ensure that other families receive the same support as we did as it is crucial. The work they do day in, day out is paramount.

I am therefore running the London Marathon in memory of my gorgeous grandson Harley Matthew Ball. During his short period of life he was an inspiration and he continues to leave a massive imprint on my heart. I just want to give something back to the neonatal ward who were absolutely fantastic. So come on guys, dig deep. Together we can make a difference.

I'm raising money for the Keep Me Close Appeal. The care of extremely premature and sick babies turns families lives upside down. It is emotionally, physically and financially demanding, placing people under incredible pressure. The best support we can give to parents is the freedom to stay near their newborn child.The Keep Me Close Appeal opened a home-from-home on 15 November 2019 for the families of babies who are in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Derriford Hospital.It is nearby, it provides our families seven en-suite bedrooms, with a fully functioning kitchen, comfortable communal area and access to laundry facilities. To date (June 2020) we have been able to give 22 families 680 nights of accommodation at no additional cost to them or the hospital. We need to keep this going.They need £70,000 per year, or just £27.40/night/bedroom to allow peace of mind to parents who are under extreme stress. Thank you for being involved.