Hi ! We are Kat and Maya, two sisters from Newcastle.

We are absolutely over the moon to share that we’ll be running the Great North Run 2026 together to raise money for The Blue Sky Trust.

The Blue Sky Trust is a charity based in Newcastle which has worked to support those living with HIV in the region for over 30 years. The charity not only supports people living with HIV directly, but also works to improve HIV education in schools and workplaces, as well as the services which people interact with prior to, during and after diagnosis.

Their work is vitally important, and has already done a world of good in both supporting those with HIV and changing how HIV is perceived in the region. This said, an enormous stigma still exists, one which is detrimental to the wellbeing of people living with HIV and the ease with which they can access support. Donations to the Blue Sky trust will support them to continue the work they do, spreading their message far and wide; in particular helping people to understand that undectectable= untransmittable.

Although Kat had a brief history with school cross country, Maya was too busy pretending to be on the West End and we both have short legs which were NOT made for half- marathons, so this will definitely be an undertaking. The biggest challenge however will be trying to spend more than an hour next to each other without arguing. Nonetheless, we look forward to documenting our journey and hopefully sharing more along the way about why this charity is so important to us and our region!

A donation of any amount would be hugely appreciated, but we understand not everyone is in a position to donate - even a share would make a huge difference!

Thank you SO much.

Lots of love,

Maya and Kat xxx