Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I have set up this fundraising page because just over a year ago our family was changed forever by the loss of one very special little boy. Luca Giovannini was a bright, happy and caring child who adored all things Disney. He was also very close to his younger brother Leo.

To the total devastation of his family, Luca, aged five and a half, caught a virus that ended up taking his life. Whilst dealing with the fact that Luca could not be saved, his parents were also speaking to doctors about donating Luca's organs. 

During this time and on many occasions since, The Donor Family Network charity have supported Luca's parents and so this is why I have chosen them as the charity that I want to raise money for. 

Luca saved 4 lives through his organ donation, including a 3 year old girl who recieving his heart and a 3 year old boy recieving his bowel, pancreas and liver.  This has enabled other families to be spared the heartache Luca's parents and family have had to face.

The Donor Family Network is a registered charity and receives no government funding. The Network relies on fundraising and donations to continue with its work. The charity has two main aims: the support of donor families and the promotion of organ and tissue donation. The symbol of DFN comprises of a butterfly and a forget-me-not. The butterfly as a symbol of hope and new life and the forget-me-not as no donor will ever be forgotten.

Luca will never be forgotten by his family and friends. In his memory I want to raise both money for DFN and awareness of the importance of organ donation by completing five half marathons over the course of this year. 

A year ago as many of you will testify I could not have run to the end of the road let alone 13 miles, but with some hard work and a lot of encouragement from family and friends, I have achieved a level of fitness that means I can now run and worringly enjoy it! 

So here is the plan...run the following 5 half marathons over the course of the year Watford (Feb 3rd) Reading (March) Dublin (August) London Parks (September) & finally the Tatton Park Half (November).  The time I am looking to achieve, based on training runs and previous 10 mile races, is sub 1hour 40 mins per half marathon.  So if I stay injury free and keep up the training this will be a realistic target.

A couple of the runs are subject to change based on ballots not yet being open but 5 will be competed. Based on sponsorship there may even be a couple more so please dig deep as every penny helps.

I am planning on keeping you all up to date with my progress on this challenge.  Watch this space!

I really hope you can support me and use this site to donate. 

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you so much. 

Simon 'The slimline Pie Man'