Last year I met an amazing charity. Baby Basics is a network of 55 centres across the country, staffed by an army of volunteers, offering practical support to new mothers and families who could use a helping hand with the colossal amounts of stuff that babies and young children need. In a nutshell, they're giving up their time and working really hard to help give as many children as possible - children they will probably never meet and wouldn't know if they saw them walking down the street - a better start in life. It's an example to us all and really does embody the best of British decency and charitable values.

2 extra amazing things about Baby Basics:

A. They're so effective - last year they supported over 44,000 children and their families

B. They treat anyone referred to them (they only take referrals from health professionals) with dignity and respect, e.g. making sure they only pass on good quality and safe kit, parcelling things up nicely (way better than any gift I've wrapped!), working really hard to iron any clothes, blankets etc

Sadly, the needs for the support they offer, and the the number of referrals they are getting, is only rising :(

So I figured the least I could do is help a bit. Not having run a half marathon for almost a decade, a period of time in which one or two bacon rolls have been consumed, I thought I should try and haul myself round 13.1 miles for old times sake and see if I could raise some money to support their unbelievable work. Please do chip in a few quid to help, if you can.

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.