Hi!

Thanks for visiting my fundraising page for Combat Stress.  This charity does incredibly important work, specialising in the care of Veterans' mental health.  They treat conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety disorders.  Their services are free of charge to the Veteran, but these things cost money and they are in greater demand than ever.

Every little counts and so I'm aiming to put myself extremely out of my comfort zone to raise funds that will make a tangible difference.  The plan is to compete in next year's half-Ironman, a very challenging triathlon which takes place in June 2011.  It comprises a 1.2 mile swim, 56 miles on the bike, followed by a half-marathon... hideous frankly!  But our soldiers put their lives on the line for our country, so this is nothing in comparison really.

Just to put things in context a little, I have never competed in a triathlon; I have never even sat on a road bike before!  But if it was going to be easy, then it wouldn’t quite do the charity and my target justice.  I'll be competing in events throughout the next year, starting with my first sprint triathlon in Brecon on 5th June 2010: 400m swim; 20km bike; 5km run.  You can keep track of my progress from novice to triathlete on my blog, and if you fancy coming to support me at any of the events I'm taking part in, your support would be wonderful!

So, please dig deep and help me reach my target of £2,000 for Combat Stress. Here are a few examples of what a donation from you will fund:

• £30 pays for a session of trauma-focused therapy.
  £130 pays for a consultation with a psychiatrist.
  £293 pays for a full day's care at a Combat Stress residential treatment centre.

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.

Thank you so much!

Daisy xx