James shares why he decided to take part in the London Marathon for Child Bereavement UK and explains how he raised funds. 

Child Bereavement UK help when it’s most needed, and in ways that is needed, which is vitally important when you’re bereaved - I wish the charity had existed when I needed them it in 1991. 

I decided to take part in the London Marathon 2023 as (selfishly) it was something I was keen to complete before I turned 50 in January 2024. But I also needed an extra incentive to focus and make sure I did the training and completed the event.  

So, I decided to fundraise for Child Bereavement UK because - while I’m not against larger charities by any means- I wanted to raise funds for something that felt more personal and where I felt each pound raised would go to helping the people for which it was intended. 

 In 1991 when I was 17 (and my sister 13), our dad took his own life, following a battle with alcohol, at the age of 43.  This left my mum and us to fend for ourselves as there was zero support offered literally anywhere. 

Child Bereavement UK help when it’s most needed, and in ways that is needed, which is vitally important when you’re bereaved - I wish the charity had existed when I needed them it in 1991.  My main driver was to raise as much money as possible to help as many people as possible and, in turn, close the door on a feeling which had been hanging around (which it had!).

I had to plan for the event  in terms of both of how I was going to raise funds and how I was going to complete the challenge, which in my case was going from sofa to 26.5 miles in four months!

I created my Just Giving page in 2023 and shared with friends and family, providing honest reasons as to why I was raising funds by Child Bereavement UK by sharing my own story. Your JustGiving page resonates more by being more personal and makes people more willing to donate to you or donate more. 

I kept everyone updated on my training and fundraising milestones roughly every two weeks – enough to keep people interested, but not so often that it became white noise. I think because the story behind my motive was pretty raw and sad, it perhaps resonated more. I cannot believe just how generous our wider circle of friends and contacts were – life-affirming stuff!

My advice to others who are fundraising is to get as much help as you can.  With a pretty stressful job and all the training, I wouldn’t have been so successful without a lot of help.  Don’t set an unrealistic goal, I started at £2.5k then moved to £5k etc and ended at £17k. Also, don’t be shy when asking companies to donate either cash or an item or experience to be auctioned or raffled. Child Bereavement UK’s fundraising team were great; communicating with me, giving the level of support that was right for me, and providing merchandise.

The London Marathon is incredible and I’m so proud to have completed it, although I felt a little gutted when I crossed the line as I'd injured both knees when training so finished 43 mins slower than I wanted!  Next year?

I wouldn’t have done anything differently though as we smashed our fundraising.  Knowing I have raised enough money to make a difference to other  people – that feels great.  But also I gave it my absolute all, so no regrets (which is rare for me!!).

My advice to others considering taking on a challenge like the London Marathon is do it! Knowing that you are helping people at a horrendous time feels amazing. 

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 If you have been inspired to take on a challenge for us, please visit our challenge events page, contact our fundraising team on [email protected] or call us on 01494 569048.