I have watched the London Marathon for years.  Over the years my thoughts have gone from 'how can anyone physically do that' at first, to watching more recently and thinking to myself 'I have got to do this'.  All I needed was a reason to do it, something that would make me put my trainers on and get out there training come rain or shine - because I may enjoy the gym, but running is definitely not my thing!!!

So this year those thoughts have turned to reality - and I will be running the London Marathon next April! I will be doing this alongside my best friend and one of the strongest ladies I know.  Abbi and I will be running in memory of her beautiful mum, Leigh Sinfield, who we sadly lost earlier this year to ovarian cancer. 

Abbi, Matt and I are therefore working together to raise money for two charities close our hearts.  Matt is running for Target Ovarian Cancer, to help women understand and recognise the symptoms as the sooner ovarian cancer is diagnosed the easier it is to treat.  

I will be raising money for Ellenor, a charity who's aim is to give the best care and support for families facing terminal illnesses. 

The Lions Hospice in Gravesend is run by Ellenor and this is where Leigh spent her last few weeks - she called it her 'sanctuary'.  Leigh, Abbi and the family were overwhelmed with the support they received during Leigh's stay.  The staff that work at the hospice are regularly referred to as Angels.  They are professionally trained doctors and nurses who still manage to keep the friendly feel to the place so their patients feel at home and comfortable during their last days.  Leigh was a strong, independent woman and the Lions Hospice and the staff ensured she retained her dignity until the end.

Abbi and her family couldn't speak highly enough for the place, and it bought back memories of when my nan, Jean Skillman, was in their care 16 years ago.  Although at the time I was too young to understand and appreciate everything Ellenor and the Lions Hospice did for my Nan, Granddad and family, my parents tell me my Nan loved the place and all the staff and don't know what they would have done without it.

To put things into perspective, it costs £2,000,000 to keep this 'sanctuary' running for only a year.  And what is very sad is that during Leigh's stay at the hospice they only had funding to occupy 9 out of the 15 beds they had available.  That's 6 more families who could have received the care and support the Sinfields and Skillmans did.  I would like to raise money so that more families can receive the A-class support at such at fragile time.

I will be tracking our training, fundraising and marathon journey on instagram so follow me if you want to keep up to date: cskillman3

DIG DEEP EVERYONE :)

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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.