Walk the Tube 2014

On April 4th, along with about 20 other crazy geeks, Helen and Simon will be setting out to visit every tube station in London in one single day. Starting with the first train of the day, the 5.15 a.m. from Chesham, we'll aim to pass through every station on every line, before finishing at Heathrow at about midnight.

We're raising money for Changing Faces, a charity for people and families who are living with conditions, marks or scars that affect their appearance. Why that charity? I'll let Helen explain:

"I was born with a cleft palate, and while I was growing up there was almost no help with the non-surgical aspects of looking different. Then when I was 16 my surgeon mentioned this brand new charity, Changing Faces, and would I be interested in going along to one of their workshops? I went along to a tiny office on Cowper Street, where I met James Partridge (the founder of Changing Faces) and a room full of other people with facial disfigurements who I thought I'd be too shy to talk to. It was life-changing. The experience has stayed with me for over 20 years and I still use the skills I first learned there every single day. So I'm thrilled every time I see Changing Faces in the media doing something to make a difference."

As well as providing practical support to help individuals lead full, confident and satisfying lives, Changing Faces also aims to transform public attitudes towards people with an unusual appearance. Their goal is 'face equality' and they promote fair treatment and equal opportunities for all, irrespective of how they look. Their latest campaign is "Don't Call Me Freakface", calling on the creators of Moshi Monsters to stop using disfigurements to emphasize the evil nature of their bad characters.

Our guide for the Tube Walk will be Geoff Marshall, who currently holds the Guinness World Record for visiting every station in the the shortest time. We're not planning to break any records, but we will be following Guinness rules. That means that we can use any form of public transport - tubes, buses, trains, trams, even riverboats - but no taxis or private cars. And in several places, the quickest way between stations will be to walk, hence the title of the event. You can see the route we'll be taking in the animation on this page.

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