I was lucky enough to get a ballot place for the 2023 London Marathon, and I'm using this opportunity to raise funds for WAY - Widowed and Young - to support all the excellent work they do.

This is my first marathon - and training through the cold and dark mornings in Scotland will be tough, but hopefully rewarding. Most of my long runs are by myself on the hills and glens of Perthshire so this is quite a different type of challenge for me.

I took up running during a difficult time in my life, and it has given me a great deal of joy as well as supporting my mental health . I’m lucky enough to live in a beautiful part of the world, and so spend most of my weekends out running in the hills and glens of Perthshire. I’ve run a few half marathons, but this will be my first marathon, and it’s quite a daunting experience. My own father died when I was very young, and I wish the support that WAY provides had been around then to help my mother. When my neighbour Wullie, who was about the same age as me, died suddenly, I know that WAY were there for his widow providing the help, support and networks for her when she needed it the most.

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.