January 2020, I recieved the phone call that nobody thinks they will get. "It's Donatel, he's taken his life.' There is nothing that can prepare you for that information. My little brother. 19 years young. Completely out of the blue, with questions that would go unanswered for a lifetime.

In the months that followed, we navigated our complicated grief separately due to the Covid19 restrictions. In this time, I found a love for running. I had been pretty decent at school, and tried a few times to get into long distance over the years, but inevitably didn't keep the habit. In 2020, something changed, and running changed my life. It was my escape, my processing time, my empty head time, and it saved me.

In this time, my incredible dad found PAPYRUS and began the first of his many fundraising activities, and I ended up joining suit. You can find information about PAPYRUS underneath my wee shpiel here :)

I completed a half marathon around my home town, joined by my best friend, Abigail, and we raised over £400. More recently I raised money during the 247 campaign where I walked\ran\biked 247km over the month of April, where I raised £247.

Firmly back in my running era, after a wee hiatus after having my daughter, I decided it was time for the big one. A Marathon. 26.2 miles. I entered the Edinburgh Marathon with Papyrus as my chosen charity and got in. My pledge is to raise £400 - thats about £16 per mile! Doable right?!

January 5th marks the beginning of my training block, to be ready to hit the pavement on the 24th of May. I will be sharing my training progress on my socials :)

Find some info from PAPYRUS here! They are truly a fantastic charity, that do incredible work, and I will be shouting them out for as long as I breathe x

PAPYRUS is the national charity for the Prevention of Young Suicide.

Suicide is the biggest killer of young people under the age of 35 in the UK, every year over 1800 young people take their own lives. PAPYRUS provides confidential support and advice to young people struggling with thoughts of suicide, and anyone worried about a young person through their helpline, HOPELINE247.

Every £15 raised can contribute towards a life-saving contact to HOPELINE247. Your donations really are changing lives, thank you.