Dear All,

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. Please dig deep and sponsor me online.

I and a team of friends are cycling the first leg of this year's Tour de France. It's 117-miles which is a frankly ridiculous distance to cover on a bike in one go but we're training hard.

All the money I raise will go towards the Oxford Radcliffe Hospital's Charitable Fund and specifically Sccwid, a charity founded by Sophie Watson in 1996 when she was 14. An extremely brave and ceaselessly optimistic girl, she died of cancer in 2000.

She felt there was not enough to occupy young cancer sufferers during their treatment and set up Sccwid (SOPHIES CAMPAIGN FOR THE CHILDREN'S WARD FOR INTERESTING THINGS TO DO) to raise money for games, televisions, computers and so on.

By 2006 the charity had raised £250,000 which has helped go towards the new children's hospital at John Radcliffe. The money is now also used to pay for medical equipment.

My son Casper was born at the hospital and is fit and healthy, for which we are very grateful, but I wanted to do something to raise money to help those families who are not so fortunate.

I am heading up a team of  amateur (very) cyclists from The Evening Standard newspaper where I work as Features Editor.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Funds will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

So please sponsor me now.

Many thanks for your support.

With best wishes

Simon