**Our First Half Marathon — Running for UP, The Adult Cerebral Palsy Movement**

I'm 50, and I've decided it's about time I challenged myself properly — so I'm taking on my first ever half marathon. 13.1 miles, no excuses. And I'm not doing it alone: my brother-in-law Jake is lacing up alongside me — no stranger to the distance himself, having already completed a half — and together we're doing it for a charity that's close to both our hearts.

This one's personal. My mum was born prematurely and has lived with cerebral palsy her whole life. It's shaped how she moves, how she manages day to day, and how hard she's had to fight just to get support that should really be a given. When she had a fall and was recovering, it was UP — The Adult Cerebral Palsy Movement — who stepped in with real, practical help: advice, physiotherapy, and an understanding of her condition that's genuinely hard to find elsewhere.

Jake's seen firsthand what that support has meant for our family, and he didn't hesitate to sign up and put the miles in with me. Having him on this with me — training together, him drawing on his own marathon experience to help get me through 13.1 miles I've never run before — makes it feel like a proper team effort, and it means UP's message is reaching even further than it would on my own.

UP was founded by Emma Livingstone, who has cerebral palsy herself, together with her physiotherapist Miriam Creeger. They set the charity up because they could see a gap nobody else was filling — cerebral palsy is so often treated as something that only affects children, but it's lifelong, and around 130,000 adults in the UK are living with it, many without any proper coordinated care once they're past childhood services. UP campaigns, educates, and supports this community directly, and they were there for my mum exactly when she needed it.

So I'm pulling on my trainers for the first time for something like this — with Jake right there alongside me — as our way of saying thank you, and to help UP keep being there for other adults with CP across the country.

Every pound raised will help UP support and advocate for adults living with cerebral palsy, providing trusted information, peer support, wellbeing activities and a national community where people can connect, share experiences and ensure the voices of adults with CP are heard.

If you can spare anything to sponsor our run, it would mean a huge amount to me, Jake, and my family. Thanks so much for reading this far, and for any support you can give. 💙