Thanks for making it this far...

The little beauty in the photo is Georgia Macpherson, the daughter of my friends Nick & Emma.

Born in May, 2007 Georgia was diagnosed the following October with the medical condition, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and was given 2 - 5 months to live.

Tragically, Georgia died on 6 January 2008 after an extremely courageous struggle. Yesterday I attended her funeral. It was a desperately sad occasion but it was clear that Georgia had brought an awful amount of joy to Nick and Emma, and everyone else around her.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a genetic disorder, currently affecting around 1 in 10,000 babies. Most people have never heard of it, but it is the number one genetic killer of infants and toddlers.

I am planning on walking a double marathon (52 miles) with my similarly well-padded friend, Gav Thompson.

We plan to walk from Gav's house in Oxfordshire leaving on Friday Feb 8th, ending up at Nick & Emma's house in Berkshire sometime on Sunday Feb 10th. The walk is to raise money for the Jennifer Trust who help families get through this awful illness, and they also carry out research to try and help lessen its impact in the future. Within hours of them hearing about little Georgia, they had sent a crate of special toys and equipment to help Nick & Emma.

Anyone who knows me & Gav will know that we are both fat knackers who in the past have been less than enthusiastic about walking 52 yards, so 52 miles will be quite a sweaty exercise. Following Georgia's tragic death Gav and I and the other walkers will be training with renewed intensity and focus.

This will be a struggle for me, but so definitely worth it.

I want to raise £3000. Please dig deep and do your best to help me on my way. It will mean an awful lot to me, and even more to Nick and Emma.

A few other people have decided to join us, our mates Spence & Nick (skinny chaps), Emma's sister and brother in law, Karen & Martin, and Emma's friend, Amy. Their Just Giving pages are "Fat Man Walking", "Walking for Georgia" & "Baby Georgia" .

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Jennifer Trust for SMA 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.

Thank you all very, very much.

Matt