I've taken up the challenge of running my inaugural marathon with British Airways for our UK Crisis Partner The British Red Cross. 

As some of you may know, I'm not a natural sportswoman - the farthest I've run before is a 10k! Training for (and running) the marathon is a major challenge for me; knowing that the money we raise will be going to help people in crisis, in the UK and around the world, is keeping me going.

I started with the fantastic NHS couch-to-5k program, and am working through longer distances. Along the way I've learned weird new terms like 'fartlek', 'pronation' and 'oxygen delivery', and I still have a long way to go. Seeing the £££ come in for the British Red Cross will give me some extra motivation! 

If you're able to support the British Red Cross by sponsoring me, your funds could be going towards: 

• £5 could provide a community in Bangladesh with training on water sanitation and hygiene, helping people keep themselves healthy after a disaster.
• £12 could buy a hygiene pack for a refugee or person seeking asylum in the UK, giving them access to some of the basics no one should go without.
• £20 could give a parent in the UK the essential items they need to care for a newborn baby, when they have lost everything due to flooding.
• £50 could help a family in Nigeria prepare for when severe flooding hits again.
• £75 could keep 150 survivors of a fire at a block of flats in the UK warm, while we support them to find emergency accommodation for the night.