NOW that the ballot for places in this year's Flora London Marathon on April 18 has closed, the Arthritis Research Campaign is urging runners who have been lucky enough to get a place to run to help cure arthritis.

More than seven million adults in the UK (15 per cent of the population) suffer from long-term health problems due to arthritis-related illnesses. People often think of arthritis as an elderly person's disease, but this is not strictly true. Anyone can get arthritis in any of its forms at any age. And around 12,000 children in the UK suffer from juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

The Arthritis Research Campaign is committed to curing arthritis, a disease that can seriously affect people's quality of life, and subjects them to years of pain.

Please contact me on 01329 822546 or email me on j.mason@arc.org.uk

JOHN MASON

Area appeals manager

Arthritis Research Campaign

Hants