Over the last decade or so, I've run/walked/crawled some cool (just never at the time) races around the UK and Europe, some of which I've had absolutely no right to take on (Deadwater, I'm looking at you).

Last year I had my first ever DNF – withdrawing 80 miles into the 130 mile Ring O’Fire Race around the Anglesey coast. Mentally, I wasn’t in the right space to see it through when it got tough.

This year, I’m heading back to take on the race again, and won’t be taking prisoners. The race starts at 9am on Friday 28th August, with 55 hours to complete the 130 mile course before the 3pm cut off on Sunday 31st August.

I’ve got unfinished business on Anglesey, and am looking forward to getting back to basics, putting one foot in front of the other, and getting a little wild and weird with this 130 mile beast.

I’m taking the opportunity to fundraise for some amazing causes that mean a lot to me –The West London Queer Project and Margate Queer Library and Archive - for the work they do building safe spaces, community and connection for the LGBTQI+ community.

I would be really grateful if you would consider sponsoring me, and supporting their incredible, important work. All proceeds raised will be shared between WLQP and Margate Queer Library and Archive.

Over the last year or so, I’ve had the pleasure of both working with WLQP , and of being part of their community, allowing me to see first hand the impact of their work as they support the LGBTQI+ community in West London and beyond through their advocacy work, events, and driving change making policies amongst local policy makers. Money raised will directly contribute to funding their operating costs and staff, and helping them expand the reach and impact of their work.

In June this year my friend Sé launched the Margate Queer Library and Archive a community project that focuses on creating an accessible, non institutional space for queer reading, learning and connection. I cannot overstate how incredible this work is, the impact I understand it having both in the short and long term as a resource to the LGBTQI+ community, and how proud I am of Sé. Any donations will help sustain this free, community-rooted queer space whilst creating learning, creativity and collective memory in Margate.

For more info on both West London Queer Project, and Margate Queer Library and Archive , please see below. Please follow links to their pages, and check out what they do for yourself.

I’d be really grateful for your support in the Race, and any donations however big or small.

Let's go!

West London Queer Project

The West London Queer Project (WLQP) is a non-profit Community Interest Company (CIC) driven by the desire to connect, support and give voice to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and other sexual and gender identifying (LGBTQ+) people in West London.

Our organisation aims to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in West London and beyond. We offer fun events, a safe space, a welcoming, supportive and safe environment to uplift, empower, and connect as well as advocacy, awareness-raising and change making activities among local policy-makers.

Funds raised through sponsoring this activity will contribute to covering operating costs, staff costs and events, allowing WLQP to increase their reach and impact.

Margate Queer Library and Archive , written by founder Sé

In June 2025, I founded the Margate Queer Library & Archive, a DIY community project created to share second-hand LGBTQI+ books of all genres and build a grassroots archive in Margate, Kent. The library emerged from a desire to create an accessible, non-institutional space for queer reading, learning, and connection - particularly for those without access to formal education or mainstream cultural institutions.

The space is intentionally low-tech, intimate, and inviting, with books donated by queer individuals and allies across the UK. It also includes zines, local queer ephemera, and personal artefacts that reflect a diversity of queer lives and histories.

The library acts not just as a repository but as a living, collective archive - encouraging visitors to contribute their own stories, participate in reading groups, or simply find quiet respite. I am currently registering the project as a Community Interest Company to provide sub-granting opportunities that support the growth of a community-curated queer archive in Margate. At its core, the library is about mutual care, memory-making, and building space for queer knowledge outside institutional constraints.

The project is seeking funding and donations to help cover essential running costs such as rent, utilities, a vacuum cleaner, basic furniture, and shelving, practical things that keep the space usable, clean, and welcoming. Funding would also support the purchase of requested books, replacements for damaged items, and training opportunities for local community members in basic archive and library skills. Funding will also support the Queer Book Bike, a mobile extension of the library that increases accessibility by bringing LGBTQI+ books and resources to those unable to visit the physical space, ensuring queer literature and community history reach people where they are.

Looking ahead, I aim to offer micro-grants to queer writers, researchers, creatives, and the simply curious, enabling them to explore themes around LGBTQ+ lives in Thanet through research, storytelling, or creative experimentation. Funding will also support the creation of a library of banners - a growing collection of handmade protest and pride banners that can be viewed in the library or taken out and used at demonstrations, protests, and community events, building on and activating the layered histories of queer resistance and visibility.

This is an entirely free space, and I’m committed to keeping it that way, ensuring that access to queer knowledge and community is not dependent on ability to pay.