“From 3rd to 11th October, I’ll be running 250 miles from Newcastle to Leicester to raise money for the Alice Ruggles Trust.
That’s just over a marathon a day for nine days, which seemed like a much better idea two years ago when I decided to take on this challenge!
I’m doing it to raise money for a charity that means an enormous amount to me.
This October marks 10 years since I lost my friend Alice. Alice was one of the funniest people I’ve ever known. She had an incredible ability to make people laugh, whether through a ridiculous impression, an impromptu sketch, or simply a perfectly timed sarcastic comment. She was bright, kind, intelligent and endlessly fun to be around. If you spent time with Alice, you spent a lot of it laughing.
In October 2016, aged just 24, Alice was murdered by her ex-partner. During their short relationship, he was controlling and coercive, and after they separated he stalked her relentlessly — hacking her phone and social media accounts, contacting her family, and on several occasions turning up at her house uninvited and unwanted.
After Alice’s death, her parents established the Alice Ruggles Trust in her name. The Trust works with young people to help them understand the signs of stalking and recognise unhealthy behaviours in relationships. It also runs programmes aimed at preventing young people from becoming stalkers themselves, and provides training for professionals who may come into contact with victims or perpetrators of stalking, including those working in policing, criminal justice, social care and education.
When I was thinking about how I wanted to mark the 10-year anniversary, I knew I wanted to do something big and meaningful. Somehow, that became running 250 miles from Newcastle, where Alice went to university and made her home, to Leicester, where we both grew up and went to school together.
I’m still not entirely sure how that happened, but here we are.
There has already been plenty of blood, sweat and tears, and I’m expecting there’ll be a lot more to come!
If you’re able to sponsor me, I’d be hugely grateful. Every donation, no matter the size, will help support the amazing work of the Alice Ruggles Trust to help prevent what happened to Alice from happening to others.
Please help me make every mile count.”
