UPDATE: I SHALL NOW BE ATTEMPTING A WORLD RECORD ON MY RUN!! I WILL ATTEMPT TO BE THE FASTEST FEMALE TO RUN A MARATHON DRESSED IN A FOOTBALL KIT, COMPLETE WITH STUDDED BOOTS AND CARRYING A FOOTBALL!!

If that isnt worth a few extra pennies, I dont know what is!!

I have been entering the ballot for the London Marathon since I was 18, except for a couple of years in my 20s, but I have never been lucky enough to secure a ballot entry. I have finally gained a charity entry that I have snapped up. The London marathon is on my bucket list of things to do before I die, and this April, I have unfortunately had a stark reminder not to wait to do something.

On April 26th 2023, my wonderful father tragically and suddenly passed away. This has left an enormous hole in our lives that can never be filled. However, I would like to talk about the last eight years of Dad's life.

In the summer of 2015, my father suffered a massive stroke whilst driving his van; luckily, my mother was in the van with him and stopped the vehicle and got an ambulance to him quickly. The early prognosis was bad, and I went to be by my father's side within a few hours. He was a shell of a man that night, and we feared the worse, but Dad pulled through!! He spent the coming months undergoing intense physiotherapy to regain his mobility and cognitive abilities. It was incredible to see the man that had been brought back to us, and we were so lucky to have him back as the man he was before!

In the eight years between the stroke and his passing, Dad lived such a full life. He welcomed five additional grandchildren, the most recent, eight weeks before his death, and had incredible relationships with them all. My children, 4 & 7 years old, are devastated that he is gone; however, that is only possible because they've been able to forge such a bond with him. We have gone on family holidays to France and Woolacombe. We spent many a happy family beach day at our house in Torquay. Dad built our extension, allowing us to buy a family home. We've gone to countless football matches together and seen our beloved Millwall at Wembley. As Dad was Head Coach for Barnstaple Amateur Boxing Club, he has taken dozens of young boxers the length and breadth of the country to compete, contributing to so many lives along the way.

None of this would be possible without the help he and my mother received after the stroke from wonderful charities, including the stroke association. It would be a great comfort to take the tragedy of Dad's death and produce a positive by raising money. I want to pass on the gift of time to the next family, because the time we had with dad was so precious.