A glutton for punishment, I shall once again be putting my old bones through their paces by running the ING New York Marathon on the 1st of November, later this year . Following several months of training, 26 gruelling miles await me across five bridges and through the five boroughs of Staten Island, Queens, The Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan.

This time, my friend Alex and I are running for Barnardos, one of the UK's leading childrens charities. We are trying to raise £10,000 between us for a very deserving charity which is struggling to keep the coffers full in these difficult times.

Barnardo's works directly with over 100,000 children, young people and their families every year. They run 394 vital projects across the UK, including counselling for children who have been abused, fostering and adoption services, vocational training and disability inclusion groups. You can find out more about the work that they do at www.barnardos.org.uk  

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So please give some thought to those in less fortunate circumstances than ourselves, dig deep and donate what you can. Many thanks.