On the 5^th January this year, our family was dealt a huge shock when my Aunty – Alison Webster – died suddenly and unexpectedly as she was preparing to go to bed. With no obvious medical issues, symptoms or trigger events, the cause of death was categorised as Sudden Death Syndrome – an umbrella term for deaths caused by abrupt cardiac arrests where the specific cause cannot be found. This affects only around 500 people in the UK every year. There are many fantastic Heart-related charities out there but we’ve chosen to focus on a small charity called Arrhythmia Alliance which aims to increase and improve awareness, diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmia and the distribution of defibrillators in the community.

Aunty A was the most enthusiastic and cheerful woman I ever met and a lifelong nurse in the NHS who made a career out of caring for others. So in memory of her, I will attempt to raise some funds by competing in the Box End Centurion Triathlon on 29^th of May which is a 2250m swim, 86km cycle and finally a 15km run. As many of you will know, I rate myself as a world-class athlete but in reality have only middling fitness and an extremely fragile body. Common remarks include:

• "You have the body of a 50 year old"
• "How have you done your hamstring again?"
• "You are made of glass"

A dislocated shoulder while trying to dress myself in March was certainly a setback, but so far the hamstrings remain intact! Clearly at this event self-preservation will be as crucial as speed as I attempt to reach the finish line. Target is sub-6 hours!

Please give generously and huge thanks for any support!