Next Sunday, the 14th of April, I will be running the Manchester Marathon for Kidney Research UK in memory of my grandma, Angela Tilley; I hope that the money I raise will contribute to their bid to develop better treatments for people like my amazing boyfriend André who live with Kidney Diseases, and ultimately much better outcomes with the discovery of a cure.

I began my training in October last year and never imagined that my grandma wouldn’t be here to cheer me on. Training for my first marathon hasn’t been straightforward- it’s sometimes felt like ‘leg injury central’- but my excitement and pride at being able to run for such an amazing charity fills me with all the determination I will need to sprint (or maybe hobble ;)) across the line.

Kidney Research is the UK’s largest charity of its kind, funding cutting edge research to better our understanding of the causes of Kidney Disease, its treatments, and the development of a cure, so that every person diagnosed gets to feel confident in their life after recovery.

Having seen the impact of chronic Kidney Disease on the way a person can live their life, I feel strongly that any way we can help really matters, and your support would, and does, mean the world.

Josie x