Most of you will already know that I have signed up for the Great North Run, meaning that in September I will be running 13 miles. Most of you will also know that I don’t even LIKE running, and before I signed up for this, I didn’t even own a pair of trainers.

I would very much like to say that since I’ve started training, I’ve embraced a new, healthy lifestyle, that I crave the heady adrenaline rush I get after each invigorating run and that I love nothing more than smashing my Personal Best Time. This would be a lie. The only good bit about going for a run is that bit where you stop at the end.

I’m putting myself through this new level of suffering for Age UK, the new charity combining Concern and Help the Aged . No-one wants to be unhappy and alone when we get older, but the reality is that many of us could end up like that. One in five  pensioners are living below the poverty line. Nearly 50% of older people consider the television to be their main form of company. 500,000 of them spent Christmas Day alone last year. By sponsoring me, you’ll be helping to change this.

Basically, I’m not just helping out a worthy cause – I’m doing my best to make sure you all get great karma in the process. No, really, there’s no need to thank me.