On 10 June I will be attempting the Dragon Ride, a 300km bike ride with just under 5,000m of climbing.

(You can find out more about the event here: http://www.letapeuk.co.uk/wales/letape-wales/event-info/).

I hope to complete the ride in about 14 hours – so it’s going to be a long hard day in the saddle!  But I’m sure the weather will be fine – the event is in South West Wales ;-)

Shine was set up by a friend of mine 12 years ago, using his own money and time, to help alleviate poverty in Zambia by tackling illiteracy among children in some of its poorest parts. To achieve this Shine has set up a literacy school for orphans and vulnerable children in an urban township in the capital, Lusaka. The school - Shine Zambia Reading Academy - is currently teaching 200 pupils how to read and write and providing them with a daily meal.

The pupils come from very poor families and would otherwise be out of education. Once they graduate from Shine's two-year literacy program, Shine places them in mainstream education in nearby state schools, where they can gain a formal education having gained a strong foundation in literacy.

The money you donate to Shine will go towards the running of the school, helping cover the cost of paying the local teachers and feeding the pupils. The charity is small, with minimal admin costs that are covered personally by the trustees, so every penny donated to Shine goes into the school in Zambia. For more info on Shine go to www.shinecharity.org or www.facebook.com/shinezambia

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.