On the 19th of July this year I’m raising money for Winston’s Wish, an incredible charity that supported us through the recent past.

I’m running in the RatRace 100 “Castle to Castle” Ultramarathon. Around 700 runners will take on a scenic and undulating 100 miles of Northumberland and Scottish coastline as we run/crawl from Bamburgh Castle to Edinburgh Castle.

Back in May 2023 my brother in law died, leaving behind a wife and two very young, beautiful children.

The charities that guide and help families to pick up the pieces are invaluable. Breaking the news to two children that their daddy is never coming home is utterly heartbreaking. Guiding us through that time was Winston’s Wish.

Every day across the UK, children and young people lose someone significant to them. The death of someone important can be the most traumatic experience a child or young person will ever face.

Winston’s Wish relies on voluntary charitable donations to support children and their families following the death of a parent, sibling or important person. Since 1992, they have helped tens of thousands of bereaved children and young people and, with your help, can help tens of thousands more during the most difficult time of their lives.

I use running as an escape. Following the events of May 2023 I jumped into Ultra running as a distraction, something to balance my mind when I needed it and what I found was astonishing. The community is full of nutters. Everyone has their own backstory and purpose driving them, but everyone is in it together and the team spirit is unreal.

I am genuinely petrified of this challenge, having bounced from injury to injury over the last two years, but also extremely excited to get going on what’s surely one of the most stunning events in the UK. But it is going to hurt like hell.

Any donation for Winston’s Wish would be greatly appreciated and give me another reason to get to the finish line at Edinburgh Castle.

Thank you!