April 26th 2026 ~ I will be running the London Marathon in memory of my Mum and Dad, Mandi Slattery & Jon Goodchild 🏃🏻‍♀️✨🪽

I am running in a charity place for Child Bereavement UK - an incredible charity who I have received face-to-face support from since 2018.

I have lost both my parents by the age of 23. I lost my amazing dad very suddenly in December 2024 and my beautiful mum to cancer in January 2013. Living my life with no mum or dad is a reality I never thought I would be in and running a marathon is something I never thought I could do - yet here I am, doing both. because of the love and support my mum and dad showed me, I know I can do hard things. I am running the 26.2 miles/42km to help other young people see there is still a life very much worth living after losing one or both parents 🫂

My dad actually found Child Bereavement UK for me back in 2018 when I was struggling to meet other 14 year old girls who had also lost their mum. Roll on to May 2024 I reached out to Child Bereavement UK myself in need of support, and since they have been nothing but understanding, proactive and a true safe space helping me navigate complicated grief and everyday life.

I am honoured to raise awareness and funds for Child Bereavement UK. The face-to-face counselling I currently receive l've found to be both comforting and a form of self care. Running a marathon looks after your body physically but going to counselling looks after your brain mentally, both equally as important. Show up for yourself in both ways, you're not alone in grief but the best support system we have is ourselves physically and mentally.

It’s important to “look after the living” as dad would say ☁️

Child Bereavement UK helps families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. They provide training to professionals in health and social care, education and the voluntary and corporate sectors - equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families. They offer free, confidential bereavement support by phone, video, message and face-to-face from across the UK.

If you would like to donate to my marathon and support Child Bereavement UK, that would be greatly appreciated and you can do so on this page. If you know a young adult, under the age of 25, who has lost one or both parents let them know about Child Bereavement UK 🤎