Support Abi in her Mount Kilimanjaro climb

Ormiston's intrepid Development Director, Abi Paton, is set to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for Ormiston this October. Click here to see Abi's Justgiving page.

So far this year Abi has run the London Marathon, completed the mammoth 120 mile Dunwich Dynamo cycle ride, stormed the choppy waters of the Great East Swim and raced around countless other regional runs. Superhuman efforts! Good luck Abi and thank you so much to everyone who has kindly sponsored her efforts so far!

Three cheers for our London Marathon runners!

It has been another incredible year for our London Marathon runners. As well as raising almost £10,000 towards our work with children & young people already, for the first time the ladies were in the top spot - congratulations to our own new Development Director Abi Paton for finishing in 3 hours 45 minutes and to volunteer Lucy Lawson for finishing in 3 hours 53 minutes. Lucy was also thrilled to come 209th in the 45 to 49 year old age group!

All of our runners did a remarkable job of fundraising on our behalf and between them staged Quiz Nights, Pasta Nights and a `Call My Wine Bluff' evening, all of which helped raise the profile of Ormiston across the region.

50 year-old Huw Samuel from Yoxford (finished in 4 hours 26 minutes) said, "I thought I was doing well until a bottle of London Pride ran past me, shortly followed by a gorilla! Then I overtook some guy with butterfly wings only to find it was Richard Branson, and then I got tangled up with a load of people all roped together, one of whom was Princess Beatrice."

47 year-old Yachtsman Robert Campbell-Gray (4 hours 59 minutes) said, "I'm disappointed to admit I was beaten by a Cornetto, however, very pleased to overtake the bloke with a fridge on his back!"

Newmarket couple Lucy and Simon Lawson (4 hours 14 minutes) said "We both made it! It was an amazing experience, it all went so fast."

Ipswich mum of two Sharon Southgate (6 hours) said "It was very hard, a great experience but I don't think I want to do it again!"

51 year-old serving soldier Dennis Wills loved the experience so much last year that he asked to do it again - who were we to say no! He organised several fundraising activities from his army base in Germany, with lots of help from his wife Jane, without whom Dennis says he couldn't be have done it.

Staff and trustees are constantly amazed by the level of commitment shown by our runners to raise funds on our behalf. It really is quite humbling to know that every year they work so hard to raise funds for children and young people who may never be able to thank them personally. Their fundraising efforts really do make a difference - we want to say a huge thank you on behalf of all those families.

Abi said "I am so over the moon to have ran on Sunday and survived relatively unscathed! The atmosphere was absolutely amazing, and made the world of difference particularly as it was such a hard race because of the number of runners and the heat. I will always feel lucky to have taken part, and feel very, very proud. Well done all, and on to the next challenge...!" and she is now off to do the Great East Swim, the Dunwich Dynamo 120 miles overnight cycle ride, and then climbing Mount Kilimanjaro... you can sponsor her online www.justgiving.com/abi-paton

If you would like to support our marathon runners you can still do so by clicking on the donate button on our homepage or you can send a donation payable to Ormiston Children & Families Trust to Louise Irving at 333 Felixstowe Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 9BU. If you are interested in taking part in the London Marathon in 2011 you can email Louise on .

Once again, thank you to all our runners and to everyone who sponsored them.