Thanks for visiting my page. I'm raising money for the British Heart Foundation and I'd be so grateful for your support.

As I turn 49 this month, having put put on approximately 4 stone during lockdown. It was a health check and blood tests 12 months ago that really made me wake up and want a change for the positive. I was tired, a little depressed too be honest when I had those quiet moments on my own and I was at the point where literally putting my own socks on was difficult.

The blood tests showed that I had high cholesterol, critically low vitamin D and other not so great stats .... I am pretty sure that if I continued that path my heart would have been under increased pressure.

I knew I had to loose weight - remembering my 20s when I got the nickname 'Forest Gump' it was clear that the path forward was to put back on my running shoes and 'run forest run'!

12 months later I can run 17 miles in approx 3.5 hours and I have lost over 3 stone. I am not fast, I still need to lose at least another 2 stone and I am still a good 9 miles off a marathon with 6 weeks to go(I write this on 28th Feb 24). In short I still might not be able to do it or if I do it will be very difficult but I am going to go for it.

Hard to believe that at 2 to 3years old one of my legs was not growing and I was diagnosed with PERTHES' DISEASE (https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/paediatricorthopaedics/information/conditions/perthes-disease.aspx) wearing my calipers for school (or 'wegs' as I called them.

My mum had angina in the latter part of her life, my dad had several heart attacks while he was alive and as a young child I witnessed him being resuscitated by a life guard after being rescued from the sea while suffering a heart attack. Also have family and friends who have been touched by heart attacks.

The British Heart Foundation is a critical charity that does amazing work and I am privileged to run and raise money for them.

BHF official notes follow:

The BHF has helped halve the number of people dying from heart and circulatory disease in the UK but sadly every day hundreds of people lose their lives. It's only thanks to support from people like us that the BHF can create new treatments and discover new cures. £24 could pay for two hours of research by an early career scientist, but every pound helps so please give what you can to help me hit my target. Thanks!