Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I'm raising money for The HALO Trust's work in Angola by "correr contra minas" or running against landmines. I'm running the Yorkshire Marathon in October, it'll be my first marathon and I hope to raise £500 to be spent on equipment and employing more Angolan people to clear the landmines that remain there.

Angola suffered nearly 30 years of war starting with an independence struggle against the Portuguese and a brutal and lengthy civil war which bore many similarities to the current conflict in Syria. Lots of other countries got involved and backed the two sides and it was one of the many Cold War "proxy wars" that raged on through the 80's and beyond.

I worked in Angola for nearly two years for the HALO Trust and it is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever been to, unfortunately the people are among the world's poorest and they live in constant danger from the explosive remnants of war which litter the countryside. Children are still being killed by mines even now and with current levels of funding it could take another 20 years to finish the job. International government donors have started to drift away from funding Angola and the Angolan government is suffering due to the collapse in the price of oil. Hopefully by doing this run and asking for sponsorship we'll be able to raise a few quid that could put another section of deminers into a minefield and help get the job done just a little quicker.