I have been roped in (see what I did there?) by my dear colleague Jessica Forster to take part in the PDSA fund-raising abseil off the roof of Sunderland's National Glass Centre, dressed as Santa (me, that is, not the National Glass Centre, that would be just daft) on November 13.

Anyway, it's a good cause and it's time for those of you whose fund-raising efforts I've supported over the years to cough up.

Please give what you can to what is, it goes without saying, a very good cause.