I’ve spent much of the last six months traveling and working abroad, but quietly in my downtime,  I’ve been lacing up my trainers and pounding the pavements of Taunton, sliding through the snowy streets of Kitzbuhel in Austria, sweating on the dirt tracks of South Bimini in the Bahamas and running a monotonous 1.2km loop around a fenced compound in the Brazilian Pantanal.

Just over two years ago in January 2021, I set myself a personal goal to get a bit fitter and lighter (4st lighter actually).  This time last year, I plateaued with a stone to go. They say the last bit is always the hardest and by October 2022, after a fairly overindulgent summer and no closer to my target, it was time for a new approach…a challenge.  Somehow I successfully won a place in the London Marathon.

When I started training to run 26.2 miles it wasn’t intended to be for anyone other than myself. This morning however (Mon 17th April), less than one week from race day, I stepped on the scales and finally saw the magic 100.0kg!  Having now achieved my personal goal, I now feel I’m ready to shake a bucket and raise a bit of money.

Headway Somerset, supports people to live as independent a life as possible after brain injury, providing specialist support and therapy and providing essential respite care for family members who may end up being full-time unpaid carers.

I’m raising money in memory of my mate Robert Taylor who passed away last summer. In 1978, Rob suffered a spinal cord injury following a motorbike accident which left him a quadriplegic.  The decades after his accident weren’t without difficulty, but he lived an incredibly fulfilled life and inspired everyone who knew him.  Rob and I bonded over music and alcohol and in the years we both managed to get Glastonbury tickets, we’d always meet up for pints at the cider bus (ironically, it’s easier to get a place in the London Marathon than Glasto tickets!).  Rob thrived living as independent a life as he could - not even Glastonbury’s infamous mud would stop him! He dedicated his profession to championing independent living for people living with disabilities. Headway Somerset share that belief and is a local charity which Rob was a great supporter of. Please spare any money you’re able to and if you’re on the streets of London this Sunday any words of encouragement will be gratefully received.