Jon Dean

My dad Jon has been an inspiration to me from a young age. Not only is he always eager to try new things but he rarely says no to an opportunity. Dad was a member of the Sanderstead Millennium Committee which raised money to build a multi-games court and children`s cycle run at our local park and he continues to take part in many fundraising events, especially sponsored activities. He has completed the London Marathon on numerous occasions and in 2009 my sister and I joined him in completing the 3 Peaks Challenge - in 23 hours 56 minutes. This was an amazing success for us, and was only achieved by his encouraging us to sprint down the last mountain (Ben Nevis) to complete the task in the 24 hour time limit. We raised over £10,000 for MIND charity by doing this. Dad is an active member of Croydon Korfball Club and runs the Duke of Edinburgh award system at my old secondary school, encouraging teenagers to take a more active role in the community. He also runs the youth club at my church on a weekly basis, organises puppet shows for local nurseries and schools as well as being a full time foster parent for 2 young children. If he doesn't deserve to be a 2012 Torchbearer, I don't know who does.