David takes on the Yorkshire Marathon

I've always wanted to run a marathon and - well - I'm not getting any younger ...

For next year's Yorkshire Marathon (October 2022) I'm raising money for Northern Opera Group, the charity I co-founded and am Artistic Director for.

Arts charities often get overlooked for fundraisers like these, but they are such a key part of everyone's day to day lives. Every year we entertain thousands of audiences, work with hundreds of freelance artists, and enable many people from our local community to take part in and enjoy live opera for the first time. We run the charity on a volunteer basis so every penny raised will go directly on making new work, supporting artists, and opening up the world of opera and live theatre to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Here are a few reasons why we do what we do:

"Just wanted to say thank you again and what a great experience it has been for Michael [who has autism]. He has really loved it. A few months ago, we would never have thought he would be able to tackle the challenge of singing with a group of new people but he has really embraced it and we are very proud of him. He has looked forward to every rehearsal and has enjoyed the company as well as learning the music. This has given his confidence a real boost so thanks again to you all for making him feel so welcome, we really appreciate it" (parent of participant)

"Funding to allow amateur singers to perform alongside professionals is so important. It’s about bringing communities, friendships and opportunities together which is so beneficial" (participant)

"I loved the excitement, I loved how many kids there were and how much they all enjoyed it. There was one kid a couple of seats down from me who, as soon as Ben started conducting, was waving his arms around enthusiastically in time and his parents and I shared a comment about having a wannabe conductor on their hands. It was so gorgeous" (audience member)

"Such a wonderfully engaging performance of Pauline Viardot’s Cinderella. Perfect for keeping 8 year olds mesmerised on a rainy day. A magical production indeed. Thank you" (audience member)