Giving to and helping others is quite simply a fundamental part of who I am because charity is one of my core values. This is evident not only in me as a person but also my work; I spend my days working as Head of Behaviour Support for parenting charity Home-Start Essex to help parents and carers to identify and support various aspects of behaviour. It is a passion of mine and so is running. It does then make perfect sense to combine both of these things, which is why I have signed up to run the London Landmarks Half Marathon in 2026 and fundraise for this amazing charity at the same time.

So, why donate to this charity? Well, as a parent to four myself who vividly remembers the challenges and overwhelm that the role can bring, I am constantly in awe of the services available and I want to do what I can to reach more people. Home-Start Essex aims to give children the best possible start in life by supporting parents and caregivers to feel less isolated, to build their confidence in themselves and their parenting and to find ways to manage the challenges they face.

I have witnessed, first hand, the huge impact this support has and the entire Home-Start Essex team work so hard to build trusting, helpful relationships with families and deliver a range of flexible support to meet their individual needs, including volunteer-led home visiting, family groups, wellbeing services, school-readiness, and of course, my behaviour support service.

Find out more about the charity - https://home-startessex.org.uk

Follow my progress - instagram.com/emjaytherunner

Please donate if you can - every £1 counts!

From me, the HSE team and all of the families that we work with: Thank you so very much, EJ