Dear friends and loved ones,

As you all know very well, I'm not exactly the world's finest human specimen. In fact, I'm quite lazy, I drink too much, and most girls can probably beat me in an arm wrestle. But, at 6ft and just over 9 stone with an olive tinge to my skin, I bear a striking resemblance to an Ethiopian long-distance runner. So I thought I'd take my first step towards Olympic glory with a 10k sponsored run.

The downside of my newfound path to global stardom is this rather painful group e-mail asking for your generosity in my run. I am very aware being asked for sponsorship money for yet another 10k run is a bit like being hunted down by an unwanted telesalesman, and I'm sure you've all received a number of these e-mails already this month. But in an era of growing popularity for a bunch of bald-headed thugs dressed in suits, I thought you might want to help a small charity based in London working towards the elimination of acid violence in Asia and Africa.

Acid Survivors Trust International, or ASTI, provides support to organisations treating victims of acid violence in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan and Uganda. Acid violence involves throwing nitric or sulphuric acid on a victim's face and body, causing skin to melt, and sometimes even dissolving bones. In Bangladesh, there were 131 documented acid attacks in 2008, 75% of which were against women. For further information, please visit http://www.asti.org.uk/

If you do feel inclined to pop a little bit of money into my online kitty, please visit the link below. But of course, there is not pressure at all. http://www.justgiving.com/jonathanbhalla

All the best,

Jonathan/Jonny/Jon/JB.....