It's been a while since I have done anything silly for charity, so it's time to rectify that. On the 23rd September, I will be joining the largest gorilla troop in the northern hemisphere for the Great Gorilla Run 2018! We will all be running 8km from London's Tower Bridge to St Paul's Cathedral and back.

In addition, I have decided to throw in a mountain-related challenge. Me, Connor O'Sullivan, Matthew Simmons, and Tommy Hanrahan will be taking to Yorkshire on the 29th September to climb up and down Pen-y-ghent (694m), Whernside (736m), and Ingleborough (723m), all within 12 hours. I will be adorning the same gorilla suit, fresh from the run, for the whole 24.5 mile hike.

I'm doing this all to raise money for The Gorilla Organization, founded in the 1980s by Dr Dian Fossey, author of the famous book "Gorillas In The Mist". She spent 20 years protecting mountain gorillas from poachers, saving them from the brink of extinction.

Most primate species to this day are sadly threatened by human industry destroying their habitats and poaching. For a truly in-depth and investigative look at this fight between rangers and big businesses, I'd recommend the documentary "Virunga", available on Netflix.

The Gorilla Organization work to combine conservation and poverty alleviation, through assisting local communities to find alternative resources to those found in the forest, lessening encroachment into the gorilla habitat and helping lift local people out of poverty. With their efforts, and the support of ordinary people in the western world, species such as the mountain gorilla can be rescued from the prospect of extinction.

It's not exactly a secret that I like primates, and I am taking steps to devote my life towards researching and protecting our closest evolutionary cousins. I have had a particular soft spot for gorillas since I conducted an empirical research study at Bristol Zoo on their western lowland troop. I observed their complex social structure and fascinating behaviour every day for two months, coming away determined to forge a career in primatology, and I am due to start a new project in the next few months.

For more information about the work of The Gorilla Organization: http://www.gorillas.org/

For more information about the Great Gorilla Run 2018: http://www.greatgorillarun.org/

For more information about the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge: https://www.threepeakschallenge.uk/yorkshire-three-peaks-challenge/