I retired from  Shipley Medical Practice at the end of July after 27 years, which is just over a marathon in years rather than miles.

Rather than receive retirement presents, what I would really like to do is raise a significant amount of money for a Charity which does vital work in the field of health care. I'm aiming to raise £2,700 - that's £100 for every year in harness.

The Charity I have chosen is Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) an international humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 60 countries.

You can visit their website to look at some of the valuable work they do in parts of the world ravaged by poverty, conflict and natural disater.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. 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.

On 15th September I had my retirement afternoon tea party at Shipley Health Centre. I was delighted to see so many patients and colleagues there. Thanks so much to everyone for their good wishes. I have been very touched by the many letters and cards I have received.

Patients have been really generous in donating to this appeal by cash and cheque, and have so far (27th September) given almost £300. All this money, plus a number of cheques from colleagues, has now been sent off to MSF.

I didn't want to vanish without a trace after all those years, so I presented the Practice with a sculpture (see photo) for the waitng room. It's called "Marilyn", a bronze by London-based sculptor Michael Speller. It has a lot of resonances for me in relation to a life working in General Practice.

I haven't given up work completely. I am still very involved with Bevan House Primary Care Centre the surgery in Bradford for people who are homeless, refugees or asylum seekers. We have set up a new Social Enterprise called Bevan Healthcare, which now holds the contract to run the service instead of it being managed directly by the Primary Care Trust. I'm now Chair of the Bevan Healthcare Board of Directors.

I'm also doing some Medical Student teaching in Leeds and helping a bit with the Bradford GP Training Scheme.

However I do have a bit more time to think, take the dog for a walk and play my saxophone. I have also, much to everyone's surprise including my own, taken up karate!