In 2017, we set up The Favela Foundation with a shared belief that while favela communities are home to some of the most resourceful and driven people, many do not have access to the resources, infrastructure and support to fulfil their potential. We believe in the power of supporting local roles models to inspire and empower young people to succeed in whatever they might choose to do in the future. 

That year, I ran the Great North Run Half Marathon to raise some of our earliest funds to support our first project in Brazil. Since then, the Favela Foundation has gone from strength to strength thanks not only to the work of Matt, Rebecca, Kanav and Flavia in collaboration with all our amazing partners in Brazil but also due to our enormously generous donors who have supported us for many years.

Five years later, that experience has now lead me to decide to run the London Marathon in 2023.

So I hope you will follow me on my training journey just as many of you have followed The Favela Foundation on our own journey over the last few years. Any donations will not only act as huge motivation to keep me training through the cold and wet winter but will also enable us to deliver on the huge and exciting ambitions that we and our partners in Brazil have for this year.