26 miles. I couldn’t resist it one more time. Having run marathons in London, Amsterdam and New York many years ago, I decided that Paris would be the perfect finale.

I’m running to support Tree House, a charity that does great work for autistic children. www.treehouse.org.uk It’s also local (Muswell Hill) and associated with Nick Hornby (writer, Arsenal fan and father of an autistic child). For all those reasons I’m happy to be running the Paris Marathon on 11 April 2010 and raising money for Tree House. We’ll all be delighted if you’re willing to sponsor me for pennies or pounds per mile. It will all add up and be gratefully received.

Some of you know that I also have something of an obsession with the number 26. My latest book is 26 ways of looking at a blackberry www.26fruits.co.uk My house number is 26; there are 26 letters in the alphabet and 26 miles in the marathon. 26 is also the name of a not-for-profit association for writers that I co-founded a few years ago. I’m planning to donate £1 to 26 www.26.org.uk for every sponsor who is a 26 member (let me know).

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.

Many thanks for your support.

John Simmons