In October, I’ll be attempting my very first half marathon.

I’m completely new to running, and at 40 years old I have no idea what possessed me to sign up… but here we are.

I’ve chosen to raise funds for SMILE Counselling, a charity that has made a real difference to our family. They’ve supported my youngest daughter over the past few months, helping her through some struggles and giving her the tools to better understand herself. The impact that support has had has been incredible.

What makes this journey even more special is that my daughter has decided to train alongside me. Watching her take on this challenge with confidence and determination fills me with pride, and I couldn’t ask for a better training partner.

Thank you for supporting us, the miles ahead, and the incredible work SMILE Counselling does for young people and families.

More about smile below:

S.M.I.L.E was founded in 2015 with the primary aim of being able to offer low cost counselling services to 11-24 year olds. We are very proud to say that, to date, we have helped over 2,000 individuals and 3,000 young people in group settings. That is over 14,000 hours of counselling in total. In June 2025, we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary.

All money donated to us goes towards offering this valuable service within the community - your money really does make a difference and any amount you can contribute is greatly appreciated.