Cardiff Half Marathon: Running for Gig Buddies!

I've never run a half marathon before - up until this week I'd never even ran on a road for longer than it takes to get out of the rain, or reach last orders. I managed six and a half miles on Thursday, and tomorrow I'm going to be tackling the full 13.1 miles - alongside 16 heroes who are all fundraising for our Gig Buddies project.

I'm super-proud to have brought Gig Buddies to Wales, and our team have had an amazing and busy 18 months matching adults with a learning disability and adults with autism with a volunteer Gig Buddy, and supporting them to access gigs and events together. They've done everything from gigs at the Moon, Cardiff Castle, WMC and the Motorpoint, to Cardiff Blues rugby matches, wrestling and jazz at Chapter.

We want - and need - to do so much more though! This is why we are running in this year's Cardiff Half.

Please help us to support more people to access Gig Buddies. Every penny or pound you can spare will have a huge impact on enabling adults with a learning disability to get out and do the things that they love.

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Gig Buddies tackles loneliness and improves well-being by matching people with a learning disability with volunteers who share the same interests so they can go to gigs and events together.

After 18 months of matching people with a Gig Buddy in Cardiff, we're excited to have set up new satellite projects in Bridgend, and the Vale of Glamorgan, while in the new year we'll be launching in RCT.

There's demand for Gig Buddies all over Wales though, and as well as being able to support more people in the areas we are already supporting people in, we want to make sure that every person with a learning disability or autism can access Gig Buddies. Fundraising at the Cardiff Half Marathon will give Gig Buddies a huge boost.

Thank you so much / diolch yn fawr!