Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

In July 2021 my life changed forever when I became a mother to my gorgeous son.

Now I realise that I'm in an extremely privileged position, not only to have an amazing, supportive husband by my side, but also both our families and a really great network of old and new friends to help to guide us in our new roles.  We are also very lucky to be financially secure and have no health problems. Despite all this, I found being a first time mum really hard!! 

I had some really dark moments of struggle-  between the 2 hourly night time wakes, endless battle with feeding and trying to survive the long days and somehow manage to walk the dog (sorry Ziggy!). At one point I was honestly about to leave the screaming baby in the supermarket, but I abandoned the shopping basket instead! Every hard moment, every tear shed, I was fortunate enough to know that I always had the support around me. 

Now imagine if I didn't have this, imagine if on top of just the 'normal' struggles of being a parent, I had relationship difficulties, faced potential abuse at home, had financial worries, housing concerns, physical or mental health conditions, how much harder would raising that baby be then?!

I have always wanted to run the London Marathon, and I couldn't think of a more apt charity to run it for right now. 

Home-Start Hampshire is a voluntary organisation in which volunteers offer regular support and practical help to families under stress to help give their children the best possible start in life.

Their volunteers understand how hard being a parent can be.  They work alongside parents, in their own homes, to help them cope with the stresses and strains of life and make sure they have the confidence, skills, time and strength they need to nurture their children.

The early years of a child’s life are vital for their development. What goes on inside a family during these years strongly determines the opportunities and life chances children have.

Children who are raised in a stable, loving, family environment are more likely to have a positive and healthy future. But being a parent isn’t easy and sometimes life can get in the way.

Circumstances throw you off course and everything else can take a back seat. A child caught up in this can miss out on the love, routine and stimulation that are so vital for their future.

So please help me raise some much needed funds, for an incredible charity which means a great deal now having started on this journey of parenthood. 

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.