The picture above is of my wife Becky Laird holding Mariana Hewitt at her baptism. Becky is godmother to Mariana who died, aged nearly 4, after a short illness in March 2015. Mariana was a truly inspirational, fearless and loving girl who engaged with everyone and everything and who brought so much happiness to so many. We all miss her so very much. A few moths later in July 2015, Becky was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. After 3 life saving operations, Becky has been left severely brain damaged in a minimally conscious state. She is currently being cared for at home 24/7. We all know Becky's great love for children and nothing would bring her greater joy than to know vulnerable children were being looked after and fed.

In celebration of both their lives and their special relationship, we plan to raise £8,000 for Mary's meals.

 Mary’s Meals supports some of the world’s poorest children, feeding them whilst encouraging their education. Mariana has two schools sponsored in her memory in Malawi, East Africa, and our challenge, through your generosity, is to maintain the funding of those schools.

I'm taking on this Ironman challenge with our great friends David Walsh and Robert Toone. We will all be swimming1900m, cycling 90km and running a half marathon. Becky is the motivation for everything I've ever done and I know her and Mariana will be our motivation throughout the gruelling event.

When I told Becky what we were planning to do and why, a huge smile came upon her face.

Thank you, in advance, for your support.

Andrew, David and Robert