Hi all,

As many of you may know, I abhor physical work. This means, as in many other things, that I refuse to run, don't believe in "brisk" walks, and detest walking up stairs.

I also love my food, the meatier and spicier the better, and have always found it goes well with a paired beverage in beer, wine or whiskey.

Unfortunately, the consequences of my likes and dislikes have ended up in me being a slightly slower, slightly pudgier, and consequently significantly grumpy chap.

This didn't change my position on my dislikes, resulting in a somewhat declining spiral, until I came across Capgemini's contribution in the years past and the coming year for the Prince's Trust.

This is when I learned that the Prince's Trust help young people to get a job, or even start a new business, through tools, training and skills to exploit their often hidden talents. Some of them may not have had the best start in life and the trust helped them get on the employment ladder and gain valuable independence and new life skills.

So, I decided that I need to give up my hate for physical  work and participate in Team Capgemini's 2016 undertaking of the 45-mile Palace to Palace ride from Buckingham Palace in London to Windsor Castle in Windsor. 

Now if I could put aside my lifelong dislike for something for a greater cause, I'm hoping that you could put aside the monies that you may have budgeted for a lunch, a dinner, that little electronic gadget, a spanking new iPhone 7, or that learjet and contribute to the Prince's Trust.

If nothing else happens, you will contribute to a youth's opportunities in the future - perhaps a future Steve Jobs, Angela Ahrendts, Bill Gates, Narendra Modi, Hillary Clinton, or Theresa May in the making. 

As a consequence of this, perhaps a slightly slimmer and quicker Shashi may emerge. Unfortunately, I can't commit to the less grumpy version.

Thanks again for reading. I hope you spend the next five minutes donating donating through JustGiving (standard spiel below).

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.