Heya,
I'm Mark... if you've made it this far, thank you and please get your bank card out and donate to this amazing cause- VETERANS WITH DOGS.

Most of you will know me for my love of dogs and the amazing things they are capable of. I am fortunate to work with dogs (photo's above) in my role as a Ministry of Justice Dog Handler & Trainer for HM Prison Service's Nation Dog & Technical Support Group (NDTSG). Therefore when I set my sights on running the TCS London Marathon 2023 I always knew I'd run it for a charity related to Dogs and supporting them. 

Following on from my partner's success in the previous years TCS London Marathon and her fundraising for the NFRSA (National Foundation for Retired Service Animals) Fundraiser by Nichola Brades : Nichola’s London Marathon 2022 (gofundme.com), I happened across the fantastic charity which is VETERANS WITH DOGS. 

This charity is close to my heart as I have grown up surrounded by Military influences, ex & current serving Armed Forces members. I also have members of the Armed Forces in my close family and work with a lot of Veterans. Therefore, I am acutely aware of the struggles and adjustments they have to make when transitioning back to civi-street. 

With the evolution of Dogs and their roles in Medical Detection, Therapy & Assistance dogs, I felt the VETERANS WITH DOGS was yet another superb movement in roles for dogs (including rescue dogs). 

So, that's a short synopsis of my involvement with Dogs and admiration for VETERANS WITH DOGS, I'll endeavour to keep you posted on my ongoing training for the 26.2 mile TCS London Marathon taking place on the 23rd April 2023. 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE dig deep and donate generously and feel free to wish me luck and keep everything crossed for me on the 23rd APRIL!!!

Thank you in advance!!! 

Mark

The UK's leading organisation for mental health assistance dogs (veteranswithdogs.org.uk)

Veterans With Dogs is the UK's leading organisation that trains and provides assistance dogs exclusively for current and former members of the British Armed Forces diagnosed with a mental health condition.Veterans With Dogs is the first in the UK to specialise in providing trained assistance dogs for Veterans with mental health difficulties. Our goal is to improve quality of life and help lead independent lives by training assistance dogs in task-specific skills relevant to mental health.