I'm not sure whether I'm still buzzing from the adrenaline of running the Reading Half on Sunday....or whether it's the lucozade I consumed on the way round! The crowds were amazing, it felt like the whole county came out into the glorious sunshine to cheer us round the 13.1 miles of Reading. But what got me through the bits that felt tough (don't argue about whether a road is flat or has a slope, with a runner!) was the amazing charity I was running for, and the generous donations of my family and friends and colleagues. I felt like a minor celebrity when BBC Berkshire contacted me to interview me the 'opera singer who runs' on the Andrew Peach show on Monday morning post race, and I took the opportunity to raise awareness of what Launchpad do. Launchpad is a local charity that recognises that homelessness isn't just the people you see on the street, it might be someone who is couch surfing because they don't have a stable home. And they don't necessarily fit the stereotype that you might expect, have a read of the case studies on their website, and you'll find many people have been in good jobs, and have been very unfortunate, in today's difficult and unpredictable economic climate. Homelessness is very prevalent in the UK, and I'm passionate about supporting this charity in the wonderful work that it does. They not only support homeless people with many different support groups and sessions to gain skills, they also provide a fixed address and accommodation to people, so that they can get the launch that they need back into employment, to get back on their feet. If you're inspired, you can get involved, or you can still donate at my Just Giving page, at: 

https://www.justgiving.com/Harriet-Kirk/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=fundraisingpage&utm_content=Harriet-Kirk&utm_campaign=pfp-tweet

Or you can Simply text LPAD01 £2 / £5 / £10 to 70070 to donate now.