I'm running the 2025 London Marathon to raise money for Breakthrough T1D.

I was fortunate to also run London in 2024 and, as the going got tough and I started to hit the wall (plus the calf cramp - I always get calf cramp), my inspiration to push through and finish came from my niece Lily who was cheering me on at mile 19 and again at the end.

Lily was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2017 when she was 6. In the confusing first few days after diagnosis, Breakthrough T1D (then called JDRF) were on hand to support Lily and her parents to get up to speed on what the diagnosis meant: monitoring, treatment plans, new words and tech, administering injections. I remember the special teddy bear they gave to Lily marked with injection sites to help her practice.

Fast forward to now. Lily is 14 and now has tech that monitors her glucose levels and then automatically tops up her insulin when needed. Without Breakthrough T1D's research and influence, this tech wouldn't have been available to Lily, or many others, and she would still be caught in a world of 2-hourly blood testing, injections and sleepless nights. Without the pump, she would face more imminent medical problems induced by unpredictable diabetes control. It has totally changed Lily's life, and means she can lead a much more independent life than was thought possible.

Lily has done loads to try to give back to Breakthrough T1D, running, cycling, whatever she can do to try to raise money. So when I saw Lily at the finish of last year's London Marathon, I promised her that I would run it again and this time try to raise as much as I could to support Breakthrough T1D.

So that's why I'm doing this. This won’t be my first marathon, but it is my first as a fundraiser. Training is hard (it doesn't seem to get any easier) and I'm battling a couple of injuries. But I'm determined to get to the start line on 27 April, get through the marathon and hopefully raise as much money for Breakthrough T1D as possible. I’d be massively grateful for your support.

Here's a bit more about Breakthrough T1D:

Breakthrough T1D are committed to eradicating type 1 diabetes and its effects for everyone in the UK with type 1, and at risk of developing it. To work towards a day when there is no more type 1 Breakthrough T1D are:

- Funding world-class research approved and administered by an international research programme to cure, treat and prevent type 1 diabetes

- Making sure research moves forward and treatments are delivered as fast as possible

- Giving support and a voice to people with type 1 and their families

- Joining a global movement to create a world without type 1

Every £ raised makes a huge difference, so please give whatever you can to support me and Breakthrough T1D.