This year, for my sins (and through the fault of my team at work who forced me to enter the ballot...) I am running the Virgin London Marathon 2016! Despite my initial reluctance to partake, due to my inability to run, the agonising pain of training, the fear of failure and horror stories from others, I realise that this is not a self fulfilling prophecy but actually an incredible opportunity to fundraise for a charity close to my heart and close to my home...

Hugs From Henry is a Plymouth based charity which was founded by a school friend of mine, following the illness of her son Henry from Neuroblastoma. He was just three years old when diagnosed with this rare form of childhood cancer, and Elsbeth and her husband Mike endured many years of chemotherapy, stell cem harvesting, major surgery, to name but a few procedures, to help get Henry better. Despite the struggle and heartache, three years on, Henry is well on his way to recovery, albeit with some minor health implications, he is a happy young boy with a great future ahead of him.

During this time Elsbeth and Mike went on a incredible fundraising mission to not only help Henry but to help other children and their families diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. This is where Hugs From Henry was born and through this charity they continue to raise money for families, who might be forced to live away from home and not work during treatment of their children, through providing entertainment, such as ipads, during hospital treatments or giving families the holiday of a lifetime to create lasting memories.

This local charity has gone from strength to strength and has incredible support both locally and nationally. Elsbeth was even the regional winner of the Pride of Britain due to her incredible fundraising! But we still need your help...

Please help support Hugs from Henry by donating right here... and for this I promise I will run over that finish line as if my life depended on it!

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.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit this page and I thank you in advance, from myself and on behalf of the Hallam family, for your generosity...

Helen x