My name is Jo Dunlop and this year I have decided to take part in the Mini Great Birmingham Run with my kids to try to raise some funds to support the Next Generation Awards project that is run by the Birmingham Civic Society.

Each year around 20 schools take part in the project involving around 4000 11-14 year-olds with the aim of encouraging them to become active citizens that contribute positively to Birmingham.

It's a hugely positive, inclusive and rewarding project for all school pupils that take part in the project, helping to build confidence and generate a genuine interest in helping Birmingham to be a better place for us all to live in and enjoy. 

It costs around £500 per school to take part in the project but the scheme is offered for free to schools to encourage them to participate so we have been trying to encourage people to fund raise for the project.

When I heard about the Birmingham Mini Run I thought I would dust off my trainers and along with my own next generation see what funds we can raise for the project. I'm really hoping we can generate £500 of sponsorship but I have never done this before so we'll be keeping our fingers crossed!

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.

So please dig deep and donate now, any donation big or small will be hugely appreciated! Thank you so much for your time and if you would be interested in dusting off your own running shoes and joining us, or have any other ideas as to how you could raise funds for our project we would love to hear from you!

For more information about teh Birmingham Civic Society and the work they do please go to http://www.birminghamcivicsociety.org.uk/

With very many thanks

Jo and kids