We’ve decided to challenge ourselves by taking on our first ever half marathon as part of the Anthony Nolan team.. our very first race at all to be honest! We’re doing this in support of a charity very close to our hearts because of the life changing work they have done and continue doing for our close friend Dean. We’ve know Dean since school and he’s always been an amazing friend to us; he’s funny, generous and has a heart of gold. We’re running this for Dean and his beautiful family to show how proud we are of them and their resilience against this really tough time. Any donation big or small will make a lasting difference to someone life.

Here’s Deans story so far:

Dean was living a normal life and making special memories with his wife, two children and two dogs until January 2025 when he was diagnosed with an ultra-rare blood disease called aplastic anaemia. Unfortunately, his initial treatment was unsuccessful, and his aplastic anaemia progressed to MDS, a form of blood cancer. Now his only chance of a cure is a stem cell transplant. Dean has fortunately been matched with a stem cell donor and is due to have a stem cell transplant soon. However, not everyone is fortunate enough to get this opportunity, as only 7% of the UKs eligible population are registered as stem cell donors. We want to complete this challenge to raise awareness of the stem cell register and all the money we raise will go to Anthony Nolan, the UKs stem cell donor charity. It helps towards adding new donors to the stem cell register, matching donors with patients who are in real need and so much more!

Aged 16-30 join the stem cell register here: https://bit.ly/4k9tPvC

Aged 31-55 sign up on Dean’s campaign page: https://bit.ly/3LQL1JU