Three of our MPs will be on the carb loading today as they prepare to take part in the London Marathon tomorrow.

Tom Gordon, Helen Morgan and Wendy Chamberlain are tackling the 26 mile, 385 yard course starting in Blackheath and finishing on the Mall.

Here at LDV Towers we have our app set up to track them, despite our slight reservations about technology that allows you to do this. Helen’s number is 62224, Tom’s is 59608 and Wendy’s is 72506.

It would be incredibly motivating for them if they could see their fundraising totals rise, so here’s how you can help.

Tom Gordon is running to raise funds for Crohns and Colitis UK following a recent flare up in his own inflammatory bowel disease.

You can donate to him via Just Giving here

He says:

This year I’ll be running my 6th marathon – but it’s a bit different this time.

Usually, I’ve raised money for causes I have a family connection to. This time, it’s for something even closer to home.

Earlier this year I was hospitalised for the first time after a flare-up. It really knocked me and was a real reminder of how quickly things can change when you’re living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

It took the best part of a decade for me to get a diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis. Even now, I’m undergoing more tests to rule out Crohn’s.

Living with IBD is tough. It’s unpredictable, often invisible, and sometimes means having to slow down or stop completely – something I find particularly hard.

That’s why I’m running the London Marathon for Crohn’s & Colitis UK.

They do vital work supporting people living with IBD, funding research, and campaigning for better care and faster diagnoses.

If you’re able to support, I’d be incredibly grateful.

Helem Morgan is running to support two charities in North Shropshire, Hope House Children’s Hospital and Lingen Davies Cancer Fund.

Hope House Children’s Hospices are here to make sure that no one faces the death of their child alone. We support more than 750 local families who are either caring for a terminally ill child, or whose child has died.

Lingen Davies Cancer Fund charity exists to enhance and improve the situation for local cancer patients. We cannot eradicate cancer, but we can make life easier for those who are going through it, or watching loved ones go through it.

You can support her here.

Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain is running to raise money for two causes close to her heart. Firstly Pans Pandas UK, a charity raising awareness of this condition which Wendy has raised in Parliament following the terrible experience of her constituent. She’s raising money for Fife Carers. Wendy brought in the Carer’s Leave Act which guarantees five days off work every year for carers.

Donate to her Pans Pandas page here:

PANS PANDAS UK is a charity that was established by a dedicated group of parents with children that are affected by these conditions who were determined to make a difference to how these conditions are understood by both the general public and the medical profession.

I came across the conditions during my constituency work when I was contacted by a family who were struggling to support their daughter and navigating health and education challenges. I became a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for PANS PANDAs and led a debate in Parliament. Following the General Election in 2024 I secured a meeting for the charity with the relevant health minister.

Support for PANS PANDAS remains very patchy with families often dependent on having a supportive GP who is willing to consider the conditions as the cause of the very distressing symptoms that include OCD, tics, restrictive eating behaviours, anxiety and enuresis. The money raised from my maraton efforts will be used to support further research.

I’ve never run a marathon before, so this is big undertaking for me. Any donation you can make will be very much appreciated – thank you!

Her Fife Carers page is here.

Fife Carers Centre came into being in June 1995 with one part-time worker with the purpose of developing recognition and support for unpaid carers within Fife.

In the year that followed it became clear that the level of support needed for carers in Fife was greater than could be met by one individual and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers along with NHS Fife and Fife Council agreed to joint fund a carers centre for three years.

A small office was located in Commercial Street in Kirkcaldy and a staff of four began work supporting individual carers and raising awareness of the needs of carers in general with Health & Social work in Fife.

They now have 25 staff and deal with around 2500 new contacts from carers each year.

As the MP for North East Fife, I passed the Carer’s Leave Act in 2023 via a Private Members Bill, which, for the first time, gave unpaid carers an employment right to request time off work for their caring responsibilities. During the bills’ passage I met with the Fife Carers Centre team and carers that they were supporting.

Since then I have joined the Board of the Carers Centre and become a Honorary Vice President of Carers UK. Monies raised from my marathon efforts will go to support the day to day work of the Centre.

I’ve never run a marathon before, so any support is very greatly appreciated!

Good luck to them all. I hope the Chief Whip has arranged an easy day for them in Parliament on Monday.