Becoming a nurse has made me much more aware of the risks of air pollution

I didn’t realise before that so many people struggle just to breathe. As a nurse, I get to see just how devastating that can be for my patients.

It’s heartbreaking to see how much this can affect their daily lives.

Some of the patients that I have had the pleasure of visiting struggle to do basic tasks such as standing from a chair without becoming short of breath.

We should do everything we can to fight toxic air

Long term exposure to air pollution can contribute to lung disease, and because the effects build up over many years, people may not realise the impact until later in life

I think prevention is incredibly important. I feel we should do everything we can to reduce air pollution and prevent it from causing lung conditions in the first place, as well as stopping existing conditions from becoming worse.

I’ve lived in Burton-on-Trent for 20 years, and I’ve seen the traffic getting increasingly worse. I used to be able to get into town in a few minutes, but now I can sit in gridlocked traffic all the way.

I ran the London Marathon to fight for clean air

Personally, I would love to see more action taken within government initiatives to tackle air pollution because I am worried about the impact it has on people’s health.

That’s why I want to support Asthma + Lung UK’s vital work. Their vision of a world where everyone can breathe clean air and receive the best care possible gives me hope.

It was an honour to raise funds for this charity by running in the London Marathon 2026. I did this for all the people whose lives depend on better lung health.

I also wanted to honour the memory of my grandad

I also took part in the marathon in memory of my wonderful grandad, who died of Legionnaires' disease in 2016. Just weeks before, he had been the life and soul of our family gatherings - always smiling and full of energy.

But his lungs had been weakened from a lifetime of hard work as a coal miner, and when he contracted this disease, his decline was rapid and devastating. That experience has never left me - it lit a fire inside me to make a difference for others.

I pushed myself to the limits for everyone's right to breathe

When I entered for the marathon, I hadn’t got much experience of running. I started training in August and it was very hard to get my miles in whilst also working as a nurse full time. One day, I had to run a half marathon before going to work a ten-hour shift.

I was very nervous on the day of the marathon, but I just kept going and I felt so emotional near the end. I was crying the entire time that I was running along The Mall and crossing the finishing line. My parents were there to cheer me on and they were very proud of me.

I just thought that I would push myself to my limits to achieve this - when you’re basically fighting for someone’s right to breathe you’ve got to put great determination into it.