Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

As we age we inevitably become more aware of the fragility of life but it is more harrowing to think of at the birth of a child or in the early years of a child’s life. When I was born I was a medical anomaly - I wasn’t breathing and didn’t take a breath within the first few critical minutes of my life. I am on this planet today entirely due to the responsiveness and the innovative interventions (including oxygen incubation) of the medical staff at the time.

Having lost both my parents in recent years I began to think about the legacy I will leave behind for my children. I spent the earlier part of my career in science and have experienced first hand how crucial research funding is to advancement. 

I have competitive instincts and I am always up for a new challenge and so having spent most of my life to date sitting down - even my main endurance sports were rowing and cycling - I am doing something on my feet. I have recently started running - a sport I have never found easy and couldn’t take seriously in my life before. 

I am running the London marathon for the first time and for a great cause...an opportunity to change other people’s lives as well as my own. It’s a long way for anyone...about 42km (I prefer metric)....and a great occassion when 40,000 runners of all abilities unite for fun and a sense of achievement in a troubled world #spiritoflondon . 

I am also raising money for Sparks and GOSH to be able to contribute in a small way to their excellent work pioneering child health research and paediatric health, a hugely underfunded area, but vital for the wellbeing of future generations. I am not underestimating the enormity of the challenge and have set an ambitious fundraising target which I would like to smash. 

 You only live once. You owe it to yourself to make the most of it. 

Please consider sponsoring me.