At the London Marathon on 27 April 2025 I'm attempting to break a Guinness World Record - "fastest marathon by a mascot", running in Bernie the Lion who is the mascot for the Dear Toby Trust (DTT).

Following the death of their son Toby in 2017, Toby's parents set up the Dear Toby Trust to fund research and support into kinder and more effective treatments for childhood cancer. Toby had Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), and it wasn't the cancer that caused his death, but the brutal treatment that was the only option to try and cure it.

Toby was on Lion ward at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), and was referred to as “the brave little lion”, hence why Bernie the Lion (Bernie means brave), has become the mascot for the charity.

When in costume, I have no peripheral vision, I can't see my feet or where I am putting them, and it's very hot and stuffy in there! But, I am going to give this my best shot. Please pray or keep your fingers crossed for dry and cool day on April 27th (heat or rain are not my friends - imagine a soggy heavy furball!). The time I need to beat to take the record is 3hr 58mins - a challenge whatever the weather!

Toby was the reason I started distance running in the first place, back in 2017, I did my first marathon whilst he was being treated at GOSH. He died three weeks before that marathon, and it was was so very hard to put the shoes back on and get out running. But I did it for Toby and for all the other children enduring cancer treatment, then, now and in the future. So I'm doing this mad thing for Toby and for all the children unlucky enough to get cancer.

The DTT has a specific fund-raising drive at the moment to fund three specialist doctors at GOSH to coordinate the care for multiple children with cancer. We really want to use this opportunity of a WR attempt for Bernie the Lion and I to help us get closer to the target of £783k to fund three doctors over three years.

Any donation, no matter how small helps us in this cause.

THANK YOU for your support xx

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.