A 21 year old woman was diagnosed with bone cancer last May. The Oswestry Orthopaedic hospital's experts gave her a replacement, metal hip and femur. She was back in uni in September and is now driving an automatic car. She was the same age as our daughter.

The hospital wants to build a new bone cancer centre for patients with bone tumours and soft tissue sarcomas.

Mel and I were offered golden bond tickets to run the London Marathon for the appeal and had no hesitation in agreeing...well may be a little hesitation when we thought about the amount of money we would have to raise!

So once again we are putting our bodies through the marathon training so that we have the incredible privilege of lining up at the start and hopefully crossing the line at the finish of London 2013!

I hope to keep you in touch with the training and fundraising. And if any of you would like to give just a small amount you will be contributing to a wonderful cause. Already Owen, a local cub, decided to do his charity badge by holding a raffle for our appeal. His hard work raised more than £60! He will be the first in Ellesmere to see my medal!

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 dig deep and donate now.