As many of you will know, my nephew Chris died in September 2011 from bone cancer. He was a gentle but determined young man, universally liked and sorely missed. I was struck most by his family managing to nurse him at home until he died - a truly good end to his life. They were helped in this endeavour by St Michael's Hospice, which I wanted to support in recognition of the wonderful work that their Hospice at Home team undertake for people like Chris and his family.

So, last year, Aran and I ran the Great Langdale marathon in the Lake District, and many of you supported us enormously - in Chris' memory - in raising funds for St Michael's.

Chris showed extraordinary stamina during his debilitating illness and it seems right that we remember him annually in the form of further challenges - physical and psychological...

As it turns out I know some deranged people from the zoo and conservation world who were planning a relay cross channel swim - so I joined them. And I recruited another unsuspecting ex-Royal Marine to carry me through.

Weather, tides and shipping permitting, we will attempt our channel swim between 28 - 31 August. Let's hope it stops raining and the sun comes out.

So, this year, you have three options:

1. Support St. Michael's Hospice again, by donating on this page 

2. Support my other chosen charity, the Zoological Society of London (specifically the Thai Elephant conservation programme) - see linked page http://www.justgiving.com/NicMasters37

3. Support both - ignoring me is not allowed...

I have left prior donations on here so you can all be impressed by others' extraordinary generosity/give yourself a pat on the back. And, of course, I have raised the bar considerably - I don't plan on giving myself hypothermia regularly (and that's just the training) for the fun of it!

And now for the boring blurb...

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. 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 it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Go on... and thanks!