Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

A few months ago a very good friend of mine, Martin Cole, lost his battle with cancer. Martin was a pretty remarkable guy. He was one of the most inspirational people I've ever met, and along with everyone else who knew him, I miss him terribly. I worked with him for a good few years in various ad agencies, and sung with him at karaoke for a whole lot more.

One of the things that was especially difficult to get my head round during his illness and after he died, was the rotten feeling that there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. Except there is. So I decided to get off my arse, do something positive and raise some money for cancer research. And given my usual lifestyle, if I can get a little healthier in the process all the better.

So on 11 October i will be running my first half marathon to raise money for the Institute of Cancer Research. The ICR is one of the top research organisations in the world and the only one in Europe directly involved in all stages of cancer research, from genetics through to drug development. My target is to raise £1,500. It won't change the world, but its got to help somewhere along the line, so please dig deep and make a donation.

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.

Thanks very much

dougie