***7th October 2018***

ONE WEEK TO GO! 😱

When we signed up in January, the half marathon seemed like an eternity away, but lo and behold it has crept up on us and we are raring to go for it next weekend!

During the 10 months since we signed up for the race, both of us have been through some whirlwind life changes (bizarrely, we have both gone through the same ones!) namely: moving house; starting new jobs; and being involved in serious car accidents (thankfully both okay now!). However, this hasn’t stopped us and we are all the stronger (though perhaps a little tireder!) for it! As a little pre-race update, we thought we could share our running journeys so far...

Emily’s story: 

Danielle’s story: 

***21st August 2018***

On 14th October 2018, Danielle Lade and Emily Lomax are attempting to run a half marathon (eek!) at the Great Birmingham Run. We are running* for BBC Children in Need, to raise funds to support disadvantaged children and young people across the U.K.

Every child deserves to have a childhood that is safe, happy and secure, and which gives them the chance to reach their potential.

We have a target of £250 each to raise for the cause,but would love to give as much as we possibly can to this brilliant charity, so if you are able to share this page on social media and spread the word, we would be incredibly grateful for your support!

Most people know about BBC Children in Need, but researching the charity for this fundraiser has been really eye-opening (soz-not-soz for the Pudsey pun) because we had no idea about the diversity of projects funded, particularly the amount of educational outreach for children’s emotional health, which is something we are both very passionate about. (If you’re interested, scroll down, as we have summarised a few below that really struck a chord).

Both of us only started running in December (with CouchTo5k), and one month into our training we signed up for this mammoth run, not knowing quite what we were getting ourselves in for, but certain that it would be for a good cause. Neither of us has run this far before so we aren’t going for any record breaking speeds, but we are running with the aim of covering the distance before they start packing away the finish line!

Whatever you can do, whether it is donate or share the page, we would be hugely grateful for your support!

Love,

Ladey and Lomax (Danielle Lade and Emily Lomax)

Some of the projects that we didn’t know were funded by Children in Need:

• Women’s aid trusts are given funding for children’s empowerment programmes to help them to regain self-esteem and resilience after escaping domestic abuse.

• Counselling and support is funded for children and young people who have been exposed to sexual violence or witnessed it, to improve their emotional wellbeing and confidence, improve social skills and develop positive relationships.

• Children that have experienced separation or loss of a parent or close family relative and have other issues such as low income, chaotic home lives and neglect are given funding for 1:1 counselling and group support via school referrals.

• Young people who are refugees and asylum seekers are supported through funded clubs and activities that help them build confidence, develop their language skills and make friends, and many of these organisations also give access to emotional group support for trauma and PTSD.

• Arts projects, such as “Aspire and Succeed” give children and young people affected by poverty and deprivation the opportunity to attend after-school activities and holiday clubs to increase self-worth, improve social behaviour and raise aspirations.

• Hundreds of housing associations are given grants by Children in Need, to provide young and disadvantaged parents with basic literacy skills and nutrition courses, so that they are able to help their own children succeed educationally and physically.

• The national “Emergency Essentials” programme means that when a crisis is raised by a school or social worker, money can be accessed to give children a bed, clothing, toiletries and food... this funding is vital as many children are rescued from domestic violence at midnight or in emergencies, with no time to wait for a government funding application to be approved on a per-case basis.

*by mile eleven, this may be walking, hobbling or crawling!