Hello Everyone!

Thank you so much to EVERYONE out there, who has supported me in many ways-it has been a bit of a struggle at times for one reason or another. Nevertheless, I am so glad to let you know that I am so proud, excited and delighted to report that I completed the VIRGIN LONDON MARATHON  on April 25th 2010.

My time was 5hrs 16 mins , which was  slower than  I had orginally hoped but on the day I  was more than happy to get over the finish line! 

It was truly a fantastic experience and the support received by visiting family & friends provided  an adrenaline shot, at the 5 points, we managed to see them. This of course being hugely complemented by the sheer volume of support from  the other specatators , bands, entertainers and just the general carnival atmosphere.

Shelter were also amazing & the after race reception  provided a much appreciated drinks & food reception coupled with an excellent massage are to be congratulated on their efforts.   

A special thank you & congratulations to Jane  who kept me afloat  during the whole race & particularly the  dark spots! 

Why Shelter.........because everyone should have a home.

Shelter helps  more than 170,000 people  a year fight for their rights, get back on their feet and find and keep a home.They also tackle the root causes of bad housing by campaigning for new laws, policies and solutions. When we think of homelessness, we  think of people sleeping on the streets - but that only makes up a tiny percentage of homeless people. Apparently, the majority of homeless people in Britain live in temporary or emergency accomodation.

Added to that when we were  deciding on which charity to run for, and hopefully raise the requested £1,800 each, I was influenced by my own recent experience.

Recently, while Christmas shopping in Leamington, I stopped to buy The Big Issue ( TBI ) magazine, and got chatting to the seller. His name was David. Ten years ago, aged 38 years,  he found himself  in Leamington, having been evicted off a train  as a non-paying customer. In his own words, he was in  a very sorry state as he was an alcoholic and a junkie. He strolled the streets and slept rough for many,  many  days &  nights ....until someone from the Shelter group (totally incidental!)  offered him some much needed basics like a hot drink & a new pair of jeans. He told me that it is because of Shelter that he is alive to-day. He has now got his own flat & sells ( TBI ) to support himself and he  works with the local youth clubs / hostels. What a story & its local too !  I did invite him to join us in the run, but he opted to sponsor me instead.  

It 's really strange cos I was a bit worried about finding a means to rasing all this dosh in the current economic climate .............BUT THEN I THOUGHT David is my inspiration and I hope his story will  influence you too, so I am hopeful, we will succeed. 

The other factor that keeps me going is that to date I have so far managed to raise just over £10,000 in other running events, so here's a huge hug & thank you to you all for that.

 

Thank you all so much in anticipation of your support.

 

Martina xx