This isn't me. This is Holly. I've used her photograph because she's prettier than me, and because this is more about her and her friends than it is about me.

Holly has Angelman Syndrome, a rare genetic condition which causes severe learning difficulties. You can read more about it by clicking the link to the right.

Depending upon the time of year, Holly's dad, John, either plays for the same cricket club as me, answers with great patience my ill-informed questions about wildlife, or sells me my Christmas turkey.

When I decided to do this run, I felt that I needed the added incentive of doing it for a charity (because I'm quite capable of deciding just to write off the entry fee and not do it at all). I wanted to help a charity who could really use the money I could raise, however little, and not one of the big national causes. I also wanted to support a charity who I knew were supporting my friends. I chose Assert because I know that the money you donate will go to helping Holly, her parents, her friends and their parents and carers. 

And now a little about me:

I took part in the very first Two Castles run, back in 1983. Back then I was a decent runner, even good enough to run for Warwickshire on a couple of occasions. Then I developed shin splints that were so bad, even walking would hurt the day after a run. As a result, I think I've completed two runs since 1985, one of which was only a mile long.

Despite this, the old nostalgic part of me wants to take part in the thirtieth anniversary run, so I'm going to do some hard training, because I want to get around this run as best as I can and hopefully raise a decent sum of money along the way.

Thank you for reading this far. Now give me some money. Please.

Richard