Hello. Firstly, thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I am running the Leicester Half Marathon (13.1 miles) on Sunday 1st October 2023 for Leicester City in the Community (LCITC).

LCITC is the charity arm of Leicester City Football Club. Just to remind you, I love gymnastics...not football. In infant school I enjoyed running and PE. By 10 I could beat my athletic dad, racing him along the pavement by our house and was usually the fastest girl in my year in long distance by secondary school. Since then my life has had enormous physical and mental health challenges but physical activity has remained a passion and an outlet.

Since 2019 my health has left me unable to work. LCITC have provided support and activities with other people in similar situations. The staff themselves are not only great coaches in football, running and fitness, but they are great people with a focus on wellbeing and who see the person beyond their disability and / or circumstances. In an age of public services cut back to bare bones they step in to the breach.

LCITC do amazing work with;

• Children at risk of falling out of education or in to offending

• Prisoners

• Children on free school meals during holidays

• Socially and financially excluded families

• Women of all faiths and none, including those who are traditionally excluded from exercise and wellbeing activities

• Adults with dementia

• Asylum seekers and refugees

• People with physical disabilities and mental health problems

And much more besides.

LCITC run the weekly running group I attend but it has done much more than improve my running. It has given me a circle of friends and support that has boosted my confidence and drawn out my skills and talents that felt shattered after my health collapsed yet again in 2018.

I know this is a difficult time financially for so many people so please do not feel under any pressure to donate. If you can donate, accept my heartfelt thanks and that of those who will benefit from it but whom you will never know by name. Thank you again.

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.

https://www.lcfc.com/community?lang=en