I was fortunate enough to secure a place in the 2023 London Marathon through the general ballot. I am not a natural runner and much prefer two wheels so this is a real challenge for me as I've never ran further than 10k. That said, I have been training hard for the past 4 months, which I hope will see me cross the finish line.
The charity I am running for is extremely personal to me and was founded in the memory of my brothers Chris and Steve Phillips, who both tragically died of a Cardiac Arrest: Sudden Adult Death Syndrome; aged 28 and 29 respectively.
The Heart of Weston has been established to give something back, which will help to protect others living in Weston and surrounding areas.
The aim of the charity is to provide and maintain a defibrillator situated in the village, provide heart screening for 14-35 year olds (12 young people die of a cardiac arrest in the UK every week), provide ECGs for adults and to provide general first aid training for adults and children.
Since the inception of the charity in 2015, over 800 14-35 year olds have been screened by the Heart of Weston through C-R-Y (Cardiac Risk in the Young). The charity is now supporting other communities with funds to secure and install defibrillators (AED).