This year, I’m taking on the challenge of running the Venice Marathon to raise money for B Heard Children’s Charity — a charity that has already made a very special difference to my family.

My nephew is fully deaf, and being able to communicate with him has always been incredibly important to me. Thanks to the support of B Heard Children’s Charity, I was able to receive funding towards learning British Sign Language (BSL), helping me achieve my Level 1 qualification.

Learning BSL has given me something truly priceless: the ability to communicate with my nephew in his language. It has helped me feel more connected to him and has made such a meaningful difference to our relationship.

That is why I’ve chosen to run the Venice Marathon for B Heard Children’s Charity. I want to give something back to the charity that helped me, while also raising awareness of the amazing support they provide to families.

My hope is that, through my fundraising, other families will also have the opportunity to access funding to learn BSL and experience the same gift of communication that I have been lucky enough to receive.

Running a marathon is going to be a huge challenge, but knowing that every mile is helping support other families will give me the motivation to keep going.

Please support me if you can. Every donation, no matter how big or small, could help another family gain the ability to communicate through BSL.

Thank you for supporting me and B Heard Children’s Charity.