For a long time I have been very concerned about the desperate plight of refugees wandering the world, forced to leave their homes by war, famine, poverty and abuse. You may remember that two years ago I did a sponsored walk from the north of Shetland to Lerwick on behalf of  Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. I have had an idea that has burbled away in my mind for a while and I have decided to put this into action next week, during my October holiday, as I can't do what I had planned to do to visit some of you in the South.

I will be sleeping in a tent outside our boatshed for 5 nights Monday to Friday, raising money in support of The Scottish Refugee Council. It's a bit chilly here now that October has started, but nothing like as bad as refugees have to cope with. And I will be able to come home in the mornings for a hot bath, which they can't do.

This is my way of trying to put 'faith into action' and standing alongside refugee families. I realise it's a bit odd at my time of life, especially since I will be 65 on Wednesday next week in the middle of my camping days, but you only live once; and I can't protest about bad government policies with regard to refugees if I don' t take practical action as well...