Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

STROKE.

Doesn't really sound all that serious does it?

When I was a kid I certainly never understood what all the fuss was about, stroke after all was something nice I did to the cat!

If only.

After seeing too many times the devastation Stroke causes, I now understand it only too well. Britain's third biggest killer. 150,000 victims annually in the UK. A third of those are dead within 10 days. Another third, cruelly, are left disabled, in need of care and rehabilitation. Britain's biggest cause of severe disability. Quarter of a million people living with long term disability as a direct result of stroke.

That is an awful lot of lives being turned upsidedown. Too many lives. Too many people.

In my own family, my Granny, gone now. My Uncle Fred, gone now. My wife's Taid (that's Welsh for Grandad). But it is not just their lives, everyone around them, especially those closest, suffer equally, there is much pain and anguish, too much, and not just for my family, but for thousands of families up and down the land.

The Stroke Association is trying to help. Through actions including supporting the victims with therapy to help maximise their communication abilities, supporting families and carers, research into prevention of stroke and improved treatments, providing small one-off welfare grants for essential items for victims, and providing information, education, and raising awareness.

Stroke is however, massively under funded, and that is why they need our support. So I will dig deep in to my time, my energy, my evenings, my early mornings, my food stores, my weekends, my bank balance, my enthusiasm, my drive, my passion, my commitment. I will test my resolve, test my marriage, test my courage, test my heart and test my health. Yep, there's a lot goes into a Marathon, it's about more than 26.2 miles on the day, much more. That is my part. Your part though, is easier:

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.

So please dig (a little) deep and donate now.

Thank you.