Rory, aged nine, talks about how he took part in Child Bereavement UK’s Jog on January fundraising event in memory of his Dad, who died when Rory was three years old.

When my Dad was dying, Child Bereavement UK helped Mum to explain to me what was happening in a way I could understand.

I enjoy running and have done some at school. When my Mum saw an advert for Jog on January on social media, it seemed like a good idea to try to do something positive to mark Boxing Day, the sixth anniversary of my Dad dying.

When my Dad was dying, Child Bereavement UK helped Mum to explain to me what was happening in a way I could understand. My Mum also used Child Bereavement UK’s Helpline to help her answer some of the questions I had when she didn’t know how to answer, and she went to workshops to help me understand and remember my Daddy.

For Jog on January you had to run or walk the distance of a marathon across January. I wanted to run it all in one go but my Mum said I should do two miles a day. My Mum and little brother came on some of my runs with me and I had lots of support from my Granny, Northern Rugby Club (my Daddy’s rugby club), my school and friends – one friend let me use her treadmill on icy days.

I’d say to anyone else who is thinking about doing a challenge – just do it! 

Throughout the challenge, Child Bereavement UK sent emails to my Mum and put posts on Facebook to encourage us. I ended up raising over £19,000 including Gift Aid, which is much more than my original target. I’d say to anyone else who is thinking about doing a challenge – just do it!

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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.