Hi all

A hardy (cough) gang of Echo hacks are taking on the Great Waterside Raft Race on August 23 in aid of the RNLI. Anything you can spare no matter how small will go to a good cause. Or come along and give us your support on the day, and throw water balloons at the editor and see Ash Bolton get dunked.

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.