Two years ago my sister Rachel had a stroke 12 days after giving birth to her second child, Jamie (pictured above). She has been one of the lucky ones and is on a good path to recovery. However, the event highlighted that stroke can affect any one of us, no matter what age.

Every year around 152,000 people in the UK have a stroke. That is one every five minutes. More than half of stroke survivors are left with disabilities that affect their daily life. Often the toughest time for them is not actually in hospital, but afterwards, when they must fend for themselves. That is why The Stroke Association's work in the community is invaluable. Last year Rachel was awarded Fundraiser of the Year from The Stroke Association for raising over £24,000 and, with your help, I would like to help her add to that amount. See a video about Rachel's story: http://www.stroke.org.uk/LASA/fundraiser-year-award-rachel-inglefield 

In July, I will cycle over 500km from Paris to Geneva, along with 93 colleagues from BlackRock, from 11 different offices. The four day trip takes us through Burgundy and up, up, up into the Jura Mountains on a Tour de France climb before the descent into Geneva. We are aiming collectively to raise $200,000 for charity. I would be grateful for any support you feel able to give to my chosen charity. Many thanks indeed.