If you've taken the time to visit this page, it means you know me, and as you can all probably imagine I'm not much of a runner, which makes this half marathon a pretty big challenge for me. As a result it seemed an ideal opportunity to raise some money for a good cause. The good cause I have selected is the Ear Foundation (http://www.earfoundation.org.uk/index.php), which brings me on to the person alongside me in the second picture - my brother John.

For those of you that don't know him, John was left profoundly deaf by meningitis at the age of two. He tried a series of conventional hearing aids for a few years with very limited success, then in 1990 the Ear Foundation enabled him to have a Cochlear Implant (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant if you want to know more). The cochlear implant has given John a level of hearing that wouldn't have been possible with conventional hearing aids, and that has made a huge difference to his quality of life. John was one of the first people in the UK to have a Cochlear Implant, and in the seventeen years since he had it he and my parents have received a great deal of support from the Ear Foundation.

The Ear Foundation has continued to change the lives of profoundly deaf children and adults by providing Cochlear Implants, and supporting the implantees and their families. I have experienced how much the great work that the Ear Foundation does can improve people's lives, and it is because of this that I have decided to try to raise some money to support them. Any donation of any size will help them continue doing what they do, so please do give whatever you can - it will be very gratefully received.