It's not just 26 miles. It's hope.

On 26 April, I'm running London Marathon for Akwaaba Volunteers, a charity that gives vulnerable children in Ghana access to education, basic healthcare and sport.

It takes only £20 a month to brighten the future for each of these children (like Abigail, pictured) by providing them with the resources, support, and opportunities they need to create lasting change.

My aim is to raise £2,000 - that's 100 child/months, or 1 child supported for 8 years.

This might, for some, seem far from home - but it isn't. Akwaaba Volunteers was co-founded by an ex-student from Buckingham; the school my son now attends. When I first came across the charity, they were also supporting a child with retinoblastoma - eye cancer - a cancer my son also had when he was 4 1/2. He was lucky; she wasn't.

The world is a small place.

We take access to education, access to basic healthcare, and access to sports for granted. And it should be a privilege. Please help me make these things a privilege for Abigail and her friends too.

Thank you,

Jo