Kathy Rogers completed her first ever marathon, the Greater Manchester Marathon, on 29th April and she did so to raise funds for Calibre because as Kathy said "Calibre changes children's lives".

Kathy's sponsorship page read as follows:-

"I am attempting to run my first marathon and I have been training all winter. I would like to raise money for Calibre Audio Library. This small charity changes the lives of children who cannot read printed books by giving them independent access to stories. Through C.D.s etc. children can listen to books whenever and wherever they want. Seeing a child enthralled by a story when ordinarily they cannot read to themselves is an amazing experience. Through this incredible service, these children are helped to develop their vocabulary and to imagine and explore the world around them. Reading can be something we take for granted, but for blind and severely dyslexic children this charity opens doors to worlds they otherwise struggle to explore by themselves."

Kathy raised a spectacular total of £1265.65 (including Gift aid) and commented "I have been amazed by everyone's support and generosity and was delighted to reach over £1,000. Many people also expressed interest in Calibre, since not everyone knew about the charity beforehand."

As well as exceeding the financial target Kathy set for herself she also beat her target time of finishing in under 5 hours. Despite difficult weather conditions on the day with driving rain, an icy wind and temperatures in single figures Kathy completed the course in 4 hours 53 minutes.

We are very grateful to Kathy for putting many hours of hard work into training for and completing a marathon. The total Kathy has raised will fund provision of audio books to 18 young people for at least 1 year.