Fundraising is a great vehicle to take you out of your comfort zone, the feeling that you have made a commitment to support an amazing charity like Make-A-Wish, what better motivation.  I  have enjoyed a few challenges for fundraising including three abseils, tandem skydive, Strictly Come Dancing (with two left feet ) and a Christmas day dip in the north sea! I have to confess  that I did set myself a target of doing the splits when I reached 50 and embarrassed to say I have not yet met that one yet!

I have often  debated running a marathon and this will for me be certainly the most challenging! when a colleague announced he was doing the marathon in memory of his Dad I felt inspired,  life is for 'living and doing' and what better motivation than this TCS London Marathon 2023 falling on 23^rd April - St George's Day my late grandmother's birthday, who I adored.

Nanny  (Constance Mabel ) was an inspirational lady.  She lost her 18 month old daughter Patricia to pneumonia and just a few months later had to have her left leg amputated following septicemia, despite this she was always positive and strong and the matriarch of our family. When her husband Harold died after  62 years she inevitably fell in to depression but a year later bounced back to the delight of all her family.  Together we had a ball, it was pre the birth of our two amazing daughters Charlotte and Victoria so we had more time and money!  

The two of us set about on numerous adventures, she flew for the first time aged 90 years to Ireland , then to Michigan, USA for thanksgiving to visit my brother and for her 93rd birthday we flew on an Air France Concorde charter to Paris.  We sat in the highly coveted row 1 and flew at twice the speed of sound.  Typically for Nanny she was unphased by the prestige of the trip and as we approached Mach 2, whilst I was totally transfixed by the screen in front of us, the atmosphere was electric.  As the clock reached 1.99 – Nanny nudged me and started to explain what my cousin had planned for the upcoming half term! 

After a few hours in Paris sightseeing, this lady who was born in 1905 concluded her day with travelling on Eurostar under the channel.

Proving that you are never too old for an adventure and as  I will be celebrating my 60^th next year with a variety of events, I thought this would be an amazing challenge.  Nanny always ‘wished’ to run and swim so what better than supporting ‘Make- A- Wish’, and make a wish come true for someone less fortunate - I have been privileged to enjoy so many of mine

Make-A-Wish are an incredible charity and I have long admired their work.  As as a parent it is hard to comprehend dealing with the devastation of a terminally ill child whilst wanting to ensure that their every remaining moment is treasured and memorable.  Not everyone has the funds, support or indeed resources to achieve  a special dream.

Please support me if you can - for the price of a simple 'special coffee' 
that so many of us take for granted in a day it could  make a significant memory for a terminally ill child and their loved ones. 

About Make-A-Wish

Make-A-Wish UK creates life-changing wishes that revive the childhood that critical illness takes away, bringing light and joy at the darkest of times for a child and their loved ones. But right now, there are 60,000 children in the UK living with a critical condition, and they don't have the resources to be that light for everyone. Your generous support will help them step closer to achieving their vision: to grant a wish to every eligible child. Together, we have the power to light up the darkness.