Hi there and thanks for taking the time to have a look at this. On April 26th I'll be running the Flora London Marathon in aid of a charity close to home, more of which in a bit. But first...

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I'll make no bones about it - I'm after your money. I'm personally too aware just how skint everyone is right now so I know that this is a massive and unwelcome ask but if it wasn't going to such a good cause I promise you that I wouldn't feel so justified in asking.

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For those of you fortunate enough to still be in a corporate role should you be able to pledge your company's money then I'm appealing to you with bells on! Remind yourself, or indeed your FD that you'll receive tax relief on every single penny of it. For a moment let your mind wander and consider just how wholesomely satisfying it would feel to support something clearly so rewarding as opposed to signing it away to the insatiable hunger of the never thankful, always unsatisfied, faceless acronym that is H.M.R.C. This is your moment of true corporate responsibility. Go on, add an extra zero.

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As to who it will go to…

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A couple of years back our friends Sally and G were expecting their first child. This was around the time Janine and I were expecting Edie. To everyones shock Rhys came very early at 28 weeks which is 3 months early. Within a few weeks the doctors we're confident Rhys would make it but he still spent 2 months in hospital. With our own baby on the way the thought of what G and Sally must be going through was a constant reminder of just how fragile, unpredictable and unfair life can be.

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At the age of 5 months Rhys was diagnosed with a moderate to severe hearing loss and was fitted with hearing aids. Early brain scans on Rhys also suggested that he may face other problems and over time it became clear that Rhys' legs were very stiff. This was diagnosed as a type of Cerebral Palsy.

CP is really an injury to the young brain. It can cause muscles to be stiff (like Rhys' legs) floppy or cause involuntary movements - or a combination of all three. It can range from people who appear to have a limp through to people who need support for every movement including swallowing. For Rhys the specialist have said that he may not walk independently due to the stiffness in his legs.

Back to the running for a sec, when considering running the marathon in aid of a charity it wasn't something I felt entirely comfortable with. From what I can gather with many of the bigger charities a great deal of money goes on admin and overheads as opposed to touching the people in need. So I asked G if there was any organisation that had assisted Rhys that may benefit directly from some fundraising which is where the Bobath Centre comes in....

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The Bobath Centre provides therapy that is tailored to the individual needs of each child.  It offers support and advice for parents so that therapy becomes a part of the child’s daily routine as well as training to improve the skills and knowledge of therapists, medical professionals and those working with children who have the condition.

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Bobath therapy is a holistic approach that considers the child’s intellectual, emotional and social development as well as their physical needs.  They have physio, occupational and speech and language therapists all working under one roof and it is not unusual to find a therapist from each discipline working together with a single child.

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The therapists at the Bobath centre work to reduce the stiffness in Rhys’ legs and help him develop control of his body. With their help we're tipping the odds in our favour and hope that one day Rhys will walk independently. Put all that to one side Rhys is getting on well, is ridiculously happy and has 2 very proud parents.

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So that's where we're at. I'm running with Gareth 'G' Heal, Matt 'Mancuso' Smith, Pete'Matt's Dad' Smith and we’re all raising funds for the Bobath Centre, the kids who go there and of course in celebration of Rhys (and for me G and Sally too).

Please dig deep and give what you can, don't forget to tick the tax back box and on the 27th I'll send you a pic of a dehydrated, sweat stained, broken, 40yr old man head to toe in nylon...if you don't sponsor me that is.