I’m Mary, from Bexleyheath, in SE London. I am in my 70s, entering my first Marathon!
In 1952, I arrived into the world 3 months early (I’ve always been rather impatient). I’ve been blind since I was born so I’ve had a few challenges to overcome but I’ve never let my blindness stop me. As a child, I learnt to ride a bike and also terrorised our neighbours by playing on roller skates. Once I ran over a tortoise in a toy pedal car.
Being blind doesn’t stop me from causing chaos… and the neighbours forgave me (eventually)!
My daughter Sarah ran the marathon for VICTA in 2025 and so I got to hear about the work the charity does to help children who grew up like me. When I was lucky in the ballot for 2026, I decided to continue our fundraising efforts to support VICTA. Sarah will be walking with me as my guide and we’re hoping to finish in under 8hours. I’ve been training hard already and roping in my poor husband for regular Parkruns. Although I’m planning to walk, it will still be a big challenge and I’m determined to finish on The Mall.
Can you describe the fundraising initiative?
We held a cake sale at our church on 22nd March; several folk contributed cakes of various types. We had done something similar, to raise money for Ukraine, just after the Russian invasion four years ago, so we thought it would work for VICTA as well. A special thank-you to Sue & Janet, who helped enormously with organising it all.
How much did you raise?
We raised £279.29, partly in cash and partly by on-line donations. That takes the total raised on my fund-raising page to £1,816.
What surprised you?
People have been so generous!
Would you do organise this again?
Yes – but not this year!
What’s your advice for other team members?
Don’t be shy about asking people for donations.
Would you recommend it to others?
Yes! Everybody loves cake, don’t they? (!)
Congratulations to Mary on a delicious fundraiser! If you would like any support with your fundraising, drop us an email at [email protected].
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