Hey everybody,

On Sunday the 15th of April I will be joining 18,000 other mentalists to run the Brighton Marathon. While part of this endeavour is based around the sheer joy of running 26.3 miles over five hours as your life flashes before your eyes, I will also be doing it to raise money for Ataxia UK.

One of my best friends is currently living with Ataxia so I'll let him tell you what it is and why Ataxia UK needs your support:

"Ataxia is a rare neurological disorder which affects balance, coordination, and speech, and also causes extreme fatigue. It is incurable, largely untreatable and progressive – so it’s always getting worse. Around 10,000 adults in the UK have a type of it.

Ataxia UK, Britain’s only national charity for the condition, is currently funding research to find out how many children have it – it’s thought there are several thousand.

Ataxia is often inherited (caused by a faulty gene which is passed down through families) – and the most common condition for youngsters is a particularly debilitating one called Friedreich’s Ataxia, which causes heart problems, severe scoliosis and premature death.

For a couple of videos explaining Ataxia’s impact, take a look at: http://www.ataxia.org.uk/pages/videos-and-films.html"

So my mid-life crisis aside, it's worth a couple of quid of anyone's money.

Please dig deep and donate now.

Love,
Chris