Hello!

Thanks for bowing to pressure and following the link to my JustGiving page.

Some of you will know that this isn't the first time I've attempted the marathon; my previous efforts have been scuppered by a bent back and a dodgy knee. This time I hope I've prepared a bit better with the excellent help of my friend Hazel the osteopath, whose weekly needles and sharp elbows haven't exactly been soothing massage, but have really helped to patch me up and make a troublesome knee pain-free. If you have any kind of sports injury, go and see Hazel! Preparation has also meant putting a stop to the rock 'n' roll lifestyle and ditching alcohol and caffeine; the teetotaller's pub staple of lime & soda is becoming ever-so-slightly tedious as a result.

So I'm not doing all this because I enjoy it- the real reason is a charity that I came across ten years ago through work. Changing Faces and its founder James Partridge are truly inspirational and do great work to improve the lives of people with disfigurements and to ensure that nobody is excluded because of the way they look. They can explain their work much better than I can, anyway, so please have a look at their site.

I'm sure most of you have heard of JustGiving, but in case you haven't, they have some reassuring words for you: 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.

So please give whatever you can- it would be much appreciated by both me and Changing Faces!

All the best,

David.