FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FLORA LONDON MARATHON, Sunday 13 APRIL

AMANDA HOLDEN ACTRESS AND STAR OF ITV'S 'BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT', RUNS WILD AT THE LONDON MARATHON FOR BORN FREE!

AMANDA HOLDEN JOINS THE BORN FREE 'RUN WILD TEAM! IN A BID TO RAISE VITAL FUNDS AND AWARENESS FOR INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE CHARITY BORN FREE

With a highly acclaimed career in primetime television, Amanda has starred in some of the most popular and successful entertainment ITV dramas and shows like 'Britain's Got Talent' which claimed over 12 million viewers, others include: 'Wild at Heart' and 'Cutting it', amongst others.

As a longstanding patron of Born Free, Amanda has been involved in a number of high profile campaigns. In 2002 she accompanied seven rescued tigers to a new Born Free sanctuary in India.  With various stories to tell, these tigers had endured lives of misery in horrific zoos in Belgium, an Italian circus, even a pet shop in Spain! From India, Amanda later traveled with Born Free to Romania to investigate the plight of a lioness called Achee, kept in the car-park of the Cypriot Consulate.  Achee was rescued and taken to Born Free's Big Cat Rescue Centre at the Award winning Shamwari Wildlife Reserve. Most recently Amanda filmed a special 1 hour documentary for ITV 1, 'Really Wild at Heart', which told the moving story of 3 French circus lions who had spent years incarcerated in a cramped beast-wagon & were successfully rehomed by Born Free to South Africa.

Amanda Holden quotes: '"I'm doing the London Marathon! It's on Sunday 13 April. I'm utterly mad and already knackered after starting my training way too early in October 2007!!! Please would you all consider sponsoring me you can find the details on www.justgiving.com/amandaholden all donations will be going to the Born Free Foundation to help vital conservational work for animals"


The Born Free team have 20 people in total running the Flora London Marathon, all helping to raise funds and awareness for The International Wildlife charity Born Free

To donate please visit Amanda Holden's Just Giving fundraising page:  www.justgiving.com/amandaholden <http://www.justgiving.com/amandaholden>

To find out more information, please contact

Born Free's Press Office:

Angelique Davies, PR Officer T 01403 240170  M 07747 441447

Notes to editors:

About Born Free

The Born Free Foundation is a dynamic international wildlife charity, devoted to compassionate conservation and animal welfare.  Born Free takes action worldwide to protect threatened species and stop individual animal suffering. Born Free believes wildlife belongs in the wild and works to phase out zoos.  We rescue animals from lives of misery in tiny cages and give them lifetime care.

Born Free protects lions, elephants, tigers, gorillas, wolves, polar bears, dolphins, marine turtles and much more in their natural habitat, working with local communities to help people and wildlife live together without conflict.  Our high-profile campaigns change public attitudes, persuade decision-makers and get results.  Every year, Born Free helps hundreds of thousands of animals worldwide.