Running has saved me. Not in some poetic, abstract way - in the very real sense that on my darkest days lacing up my trainers and putting one foot in front of the other was what kept me going.

That is why I am running the Robin Hood Half Marathon for the Children’s Bereavement Centre on 27th September 2026.

I know what it is like to lose someone and feel like the ground has disappeared beneath you. It is so much harder to carry when you are a child - when you do not yet have the words, or the tools, or the certainty that you will be okay.

Running has given me a way to navigate and live with profound loss. It has given me space to breathe, to process, to keep moving even when I did not know where I was going. Every mile has taught me that there is always hope.

If my training miles, and the ones still to come on race day, can help even one child navigate such a difficult path, then every early morning run, every ache, every moment of doubt will have been worth it. Thank you so much for your support.

A little more about the Children’s Bereavement Centre:

The Children’s Bereavement Centre offers free support to children, young people and families across Nottinghamshire and into Lincolnshire who are facing the death or terminal illness of someone they love.

They provide one-to-one bereavement counselling, art and play therapy, monthly peer support groups, family programmes, weekend camps, and candlelight remembrance services. They also work with schools to build knowledge and confidence in supporting grieving pupils.

In 2024 1,552 people accessed their services and that number is growing every year.

Here’s how your donation could help:

* £10 could fund a comfort bear given to every child accessing support

* £25 could pay for one play therapy session for a child

* £50 could buy crafts and toys to help children express their grief

* £200 could pay for eight sessions of one-to-one bereavement support