Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Most people do not know this about me, because I have always felt ashamed and hidden it,  but I have a serious disfigurement.  When I was 8 years old, a year after the above photo, I was badly burned in an accident.  An ember from a fire landed on my skirt as I danced to "Top of The Pops".  As a result, I have third degree burns to the lower part of my body; from my ankle to my waist.  I was lucky to survive, spent three months in hospital, had extensive skin grafting and learnt to walk again. I have always covered my burn scars with trousers and long skirts as I have felt embarrassed and ugly.  But now that I am older, I feel that I should be brave and show who I really am.

I am going to run the 2016 London Marathon in shorts to raise money for Changing Faces.  Two absolutely terrifying things for me.  

Every day people with disfigurement feel ashamed.  I have been lucky in being able to hide my scars by clothing, but many people can not and daily receive stares and unkind comments.  Changing Faces is a charity that helps these people conquer their fears and be who they are as well as educating people to the hurt that prejudice and discrimination causes. 

My amazingly supportive brother Tim (pictured above) is running with me.  Not only because he is a doctor, and can resuscitate / scrape me off the road when necessary, but because he has the empathy and kindness that makes him such a good psychiatrist and an even better brother.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Please donate to Changing Faces.
Just £10 could give somebody telephone advice on how to cope with bullying.

£50 can pay for a Skin Camouflage consultation for someone who is anxious about the way they look

£100 could pay for somebody to spend the day at a Changing Faces workshop with advice and support for boosting confidence.