Great Bristol Run Challenge

So I am running the Great Bristol Run in September. So why now? Well in February of 2021, aged 43 I started running. I started running because I wanted to get fit bit also because I felt I needed an outlet. Like all of us, I have felt the effects of the covid-19 pandemic. The isolation, the lockdowns, the restrictions placed upon our lives and in my day job, the strain of working in residential care and trying to keep the most vulnerable adults, out of the pandemics way. Children and young people especially in our community have also suffered, perhaps the most. More about that in a bit.

Running has been quite literally a revelation for me. It's become a passion, a time to reflect, process, just be in that zone.

Some would say that I shouldn't be able to run, or even attempt it. After a serious knee injury in 2008 and 5 subsequent operations to rebuild it, the odds are quite stacked against, but nonetheless I am able to run and enjoy it, pain free.

Then there are the personal battles I have faced, of which there have been many and in some cases, serious. To say I am lucky to be alive, is an understatement.

So that's a bit about me and who I am. Over the coming months of 2022, I will be training for the challenge of a lifetime - the Great Bristol Run 2022. I am raising money for Somewhere House Somerset, of which I am a trustee and a charity that is very dear to my heart. Specifically, all funds that are raised will go to helping children and young people in our community - access the services of a trained counsellor for as long as they need, as many times as they need to.

You will see me training over the coming months, if you see someone running around the local area, who has a QR code on their running vest, the chances are that is me. Please do say hi. Also, get your phone out, scan the QR code and sponsor me please! Likewise, shamelessly share this link with anyone you know, even if they don't know me. The reality is that more than ever right now, children and young people need support. Somewhere House Somerset offers this service to anyone who is in need. Fundraising and donations, grant applications and community events ensure the charity remains in existence.

I am under no illusions that come the 25th September the race itself is going to be a challenge, both mentally and physically. I am aiming for sub 2 hours. It will be an opportunity to raise loads of money for such a worthwhile cause and I am confident that alone, will carry me across the line. I'm putting the fundraising page up now, in the hope that we have much more time to raise money to support the young people who need our help and this in turn to drive me forward to believe that I can do this!

Thank you for supporting me.