Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

This year I've stepped forward to team up with Paul Frankel and David Luck to raise money for Crohn's & Colitis UK: me running the 2013 London Marathon; Paul leading the fundraising efforts; and Dave concentrating solely on fundraising after two very successful years running it for Colitis & Crohn's UK himself.

For those of you that didn't know, Paul has suffered with Crohn's for the last 15 years and has had four major operations.  Crohn's has affected my family too - my dad has the disease and suffered with it when I was I was a child.

Colitis and Crohn's are inflammatory bowel diseases which last a lifetime and for which there is no known cure.  They can strike at any age but young people are most at risk.  Around 240,000 people across the UK have these conditions. Symptoms include relentless diarrhoea, bleeding, severe pain, exhaustion, and, in the case of children, impaired growth.  Unsurprisingly, the conditions can have a devastating impact on education, work, social and family life.

NACC is the major UK charity offering support to affected through helplines, newsletters, information booklets, local community groups and a website. NACC also campaigns for better healthcare and funds vital research.