AbleChild Africa

Training has been going well in spite of me having a cold. I have always been told it's good to sweat a cold out and I felt much better after pushing a very gentle 5k. From the middle of this year I have learnt how to spend my own life in my own way. Sometimes it feels like going back to Nursery school but it's getting better all the time. Remembering what we love is the beginning of a positive change in our lives so I'm prepared to learn anew and hopefully become a better person.

on Tuesday 8th November I was invited to speak at a fundraising dinner in the Inner Temple in London. The banqueting hall was magnificent and full of history. I felt very honoured to be there. The dinner was to raise much needed funds for AbleChild Africa, a charity that is very close to my heart because of the wonderful work they do in Africa. It's hard to believe but ;

1 in 10 children in Africa are living with a disability; this equals a staggering 52 million children!

A staggering 98% of disabled children in Africa do not attend school!

More than 80% of disabled people are living below the poverty line!

I would easily have been amongst those educational statistics if it weren't for the support of my parents, and the Salvation Army who ran the primary school I went to, Joyland. I shall never forget the encouragement and support I got from Major Chamberlain and Major Cotten. The evening was a great success.

Relight My Fire!

I am just back from a short time off from training to recharge my batteries after a tough season. It was great having some free time to relax with my son, Tim, and watch movies and go places without having to worry about the hustle and bustle of my training regime. It also gave me the opportunity to reflect on what has been a very good season, and I now have a clear vision about what I need to do to achieve my ambitions next year. London 2012 is just over the horizon and I really want to be part of it. It's all down to me and I intend grasping my opportunities with both hands. So, yesterday I was back in the gym training on rollers and sweating buckets. 'No pain no gain' as the saying goes, and the pain I'm in today should mean I'll gain a lot! I love it though, and wouldn't want it to be any different.
As an athlete myself I am avidly following the World Championships in Daegu and my heart really goes out to Christine Ohuruogu, Dwayne Chambers, and Usain Bolt, all disqualified from racing for false starts. All the hard work and effort they've put in to be selected all gone in a micro second. I feel it is too harsh and would like to see a return to the old rule where everyone gets a second chance. Can you imagine the furore if it happens next year at London 2012? Let's hope those that make the decisions rethink this one.
On an even more serious note, the horrific events unfolding in the Horn of Africa really upset me, all those people dying of starvation and lack of water, things we in the so called Developed world take for granted. Here in Harlow we even have special bins we put wasted food into to be recycled! So what kind of world are we living in where people are dying for a lack of food? Here in the UK they talk about the 'crisis with obesity' whilst in Africa people die as thin as stick insects! Surely there is more than enough food in the world to feed everyone? I know that the problem of drought is more difficult to solve but surely we can invest in the science needed to make things better. People in Africa don't want handouts, they want to be self sufficient and stand on their own two feet. I hope and pray a solution can be found soon to end the suffering of the starving masses.