Hello everybody,

I have decided to participate in the Bath half marathon on 6th March 2010. I will be running as part of the Ernst & Young corporate team mainly because of two reasons:

Firstly, to create an incentive for myself to take up running again.

Secondly, and most importantly, it gives me the opportunity to raise (hopefully) a lot of money for a charity called: 'the Prince's Trust'.

Around one in five young people in the UK are not in work, education or training. Youth unemployment costs the UK economy £10 million a day in lost productivity, while youth crime costs £1 billion every year.

The Prince's Trust addresses this by giving practical and financial support to the young people who need it most. They help develop key skills, confidence and motivation, enabling young people to move into work, education or training.

By making a donation, you will not only make sure that I will finish the Bath half marathon for you (being in great shape for the summer), but also provide an individual similar to you with the opportunity to pick up his/her life again.

Additionally, for each 25 pounds in excess  of my target, you get to choose an item I will wear during the marathon! You can make it as crazy as possible as long as it doesn't slow me down significantly.

Thanks for your donation!

Maarten