September 14th update. 5 weeks in and firstly, my Mum finally found some peace and died on Tuesday 9th September. Thanks to everyone at the Lawns for having cared for her for 5 years with such enthusiasm and compassion. Funeral is this week and I am more pleased than before that we have raised so much for a charity that is so worthwhile. On that note, I haven't cracked and at the one month stage had lost 1st 1lb so looking and feeling a it better!

As some of you may know, my father died of cancer last October and my mother, following a severe head trauma about 5 years ago has spent the intervening years in a home and is now in a very bad way and sadly may not be around for much longer. As a consequence, I have seen more than most my age of care homes / hospices and have to say, they do a fantastic job as sadly we will all probably discover at some point in our lives.

My father's final 2 days were spent at the Sue Ryder home in Cheltenham and, at the expense of sounding cheesey, we did spend his last afternoon together in the sun having a beer in their grounds. Sue Ryder homes operate in 12 countries internationally and have numerous homes across the UK offering help and end of life care for people suffering from numerous ailments - cancer and brain injury to name but the two that affected my parents.

The challenge - even if asking for donations to a charity as worthwhile as Sue Ryder seems fair given that it is for something which will likely touch all of us at some point, it only seems right to subject myself to a challenge that should prove both tough and character building. I have asked a number of friends and the number of people who do not believe that I am up to this one was truly....sad!

I could attempt to better my 2hrs 14mins at the marathon but the ravages of age have taken their toll on my knees and I cant see myself doing better than a 2:30! Instead, from Monday 11th August for three months I am going to put myself through something truly, excrutiatingly terrfying and unpleasant - life without beer. As those of you who know me will attest, this could be a challenge up there with Hillary and Tenzing's mountain jaunt in 1953. David W asked whether I was being cunning and would only avoid beer but could pile into everything else - to be clear, no alcohol will pass my lips!

The Twist - I really do believe that this is a worthwhile charity and to prove the point, above and beyond sponsoring myself, I am going to do something really stupid to encourage you all to sponsor as much as you can. If I fail (and Kirsty has agreed to police and hand me in if I succumb, as you are all entitled to do, but doctorerd photos and false alibis will not be accepted!) I will match the donations of everyone who contributes - ouch...please give me a good reason to stay on the straight and narrow.

The Prize - as a bit of fun, there will be a tasty and substantial prize for the person who guesses most closely how much weight I lose (or gain, as some have kindly speculated!) over the period of abstinence. I will obviously not tell anyone how much I weigh to start with  - can't count that high - but Kirsty will be the adjudicator!

Assuming I dont decide to become teetotal at the end of the period (not likely) I would like ot buy beers for everyone who I hope has kindly sponsored me. And I am doing calendar months, not 28 days for those who wondered so only 131,040 minutes give or take - Tuesday 11th November it is! Thanks for reading this and please do give generously because these charities are important, and failing that because you think I won't manage it and you want to inconvenience me as much as possible!!Thank you for visiting my fundraising page.

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