Hi everyone!

As many of you will be aware, Hugh and I will be running the Paris Marathon in aid of two great charities on April 14th. For those of you who weren't aware, we apologise for the short notice and we hope that you will forgive us and give generously despite our tardiness.

The first charity we will be raising money for is Refugee Action - a wonderful charity offering support to refugees arriving here in the UK. Many of these refugees have suffered unimaginable hardship, escaping countries ravaged by war or conflict. Unfortunately, on arrival here in the UK, they receive very little support and can find themselves in incredibly vulnerable and uncertain positions. Refugee Action provides these refugees with a number of important services to assist them in starting a new life in the UK. These include the provision of legal advice, accommodation, language classes and enrollment in education. Although the refugee crisis is no longer front page news, it is important that we continue to support the valuable work of RA and other refugee charities. To find out more about their work, please visit http://www.refugee-action.org/

**LINK = www.justgiving.com/fundraising/odone-paris-marathon** 

(Justgiving is currently not allowing us to link our two pages) 

We will also be raising money for Versus Arthritis which is a cause very close to our hearts and provides support for the estimated 10 million people afflicted by arthritis (including rheumatoid arthritis) in the UK today. VA's work is extensive and it aims to help current and future sufferers of this condition in a number of different ways - from funding vital research into the treatment or cure of arthritis, to providing care and advice to current sufferers, to simply raising awareness and providing greater education on this debilitating condition. Learn more about arthritis and the work of VA, please visit https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/

Please donate whatever you can afford - every little helps and we are very grateful for anything at all! We're pledging support for both causes equally so feel free to donate to whichever one you would like (or both :))

Thanks again and lots of love