Thank you very much for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

On 8th June my friend Rob and I will set off on a 13-day 1,350-mile cycle from Stavanger in southern Norway to Tromso in the Arctic north. Here, on the 22nd June we'll run the Midnight Sun Marathon (check it out here!). Unless there's some mega drama (like losing a fight with a bear) we'll complete the marathon early on Sunday 23rd June, about turn our probably delirious heads and get the 8am flight home. We'll be cycling over 100 miles per day unsupported, which means taking all necessary kit with us (tents, food, bear traps (joke...I think) etc), and then running a marathon 217 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Don't get me wrong - it is going to be awesome!

A huge part of my reason for doing this is to raise some money for a fantastic charity and hospital, the John Radcliffe's Children's Hospital. The hospital provides a vital service to over 65,000 children each year from across the country. Their fund, the Fund for Children provides facilities and equipment for units across the hospital from intensive care to the Neonatal units to the Cancer Centre, to name a few. New equipment not standard for the NHS enables surgery to be less intrusive, less painful and less traumatic while their work providing, maintaining and enhancing classrooms, play areas, parent beds and family spaces provide crucial services for both children and their families. Being hospitalised as a child can be a hugely frightening experience with impacts on development later into life, and the work of the Fund for Children helps combat this.

Personally, the John Radcliffe is very close to my heart: they helped bring me into the world in 1985 and helped stitch, bolt and nurse me back to health following a serious accident in April 2009. Having spent some time in hospital as a child, I also know how important the kind of work done by the Fund for Children is to the care of children, and their recovery.

I would be enormously grateful to anyone who is able to donate to this worthy cause and wonderful hospital, whatever the amount: your money will help positively impact the lives of thousands of children from across the UK. This page will be open until September 2013.

If you know anyone who would be interested in donating, then please forward on to them too!

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Thank you so much!