100,000 children and young people in the UK are living with serious illnesses. This equates to 1 in 10 children who are missing out on childhood, and this number is only growing. For these children, quality of life is adversely affected by isolation, as well as their inability to participate in many of the everyday activities enjoyed by their friends and peers. This often results in a growing lack of self-esteem and confidence which can become a barrier to future growth and development.

This is why I will be running the Great South Run in October to raise money for a fantastic charity, local to me - Over the Wall. Over The Wall is a UK based charity for children and young people with health challenges and disabilities to discover a world of mischief and magic. They provide a safe place to step outside of comfort zones, establish friendships, and build confidence through meaningful and exciting activities.

Over the Wall have reached over 10,000 children and families since being founded back in 1999. These amazing places are physical in residential camps and also available online with Camp in the Cloud. And what’s more, it’s all free! 

Meet Elsa and read her story via the link below - 

https://www.otw.org.uk/summer-23/

I aim to raise £250, which is enough to pay for a whole week of arts and crafts at a residential camp.

- £28 could pay for a box full of fun activities, face paint, crafts, for a whole week of virtual camp.

- £200 could pay for a whole week of arts and crafts at a camp

- £350 could pay for a whole day at a residential camp for a child with a serious health condition.

- £520 could pay for a seriously ill child to attend one an interactive, fun, virtual camp for a week

- £800 could pay for a whole family with a seriously ill child to attend a weekend residential camp.

- £1500 could pay for a seriously ill child to attend a life-changing residential camp for a week.

I am looking forward to the challenge ahead over the coming months. I aim to complete the 10 mile race in around 1h 45m but that depends how well the training goes! Any running I do is linked to this page, so there's no hiding!