You fool. Don't you recognise that the URL 'justgiving.com' means that someone is about to try and separate you from your money?

It's just six months since I started to learn to ice skate. Yet on Friday, September 4, at Kyran Bracken's Ice Party show in Bournemouth, I will be attempting an ice dance routine for charity.

That's right, ice dance. Complete with music, fake tan, lights, bunny hops (including shoulder movement), rhinestones and bricking-it nerves: unlike those all-star softies on Dancing on Ice, I'll have no professional partner to stop me from falling over.

I'll be dancing in competition against an as-yet-unconfirmed opponent. But it's not the winning, I always say, it's the staying upright that counts. Here’s some video of me with Kyran, whose lack of conviction in my skill is painfully apparent:

http://is.gd/1UrXe

My charity is Combat Stress, which is the leading UK charity specialising in the care of military veterans' mental health - currently caring for 4,000 ex-service men and women. It's an incredibly worthy cause, and one that I hope you'll feel able to support - even if your true motivation is, quite understandably, to see me fall over and break several bones.

You can donate on this lovely website using your credit card. Or, you can actually come to Bournemouth and watch: I've got an alarmingly large number of tickets to the performance to sell, with all the proceeds going to Combat Stress. Each ticket costs £20. Email me at mail@neilmidgley.com if you have any interest in coming along - and let me know if you could use help with transport. Bring all your friends!

Big thanks for visiting. Now give me your money.

Neil

The small print:

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.