As my friends and family know all too well, since early 2015 I've been battling a blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma. 

The support I've had from everyone at the NHS through the chemo and stem cell transplant has been nothing short of amazing and I'll be eternally grateful for everything they've done to get me on the road to recovery.

I've been lucky - the treatment has gone as well as it possibly could and I'm fighting fit. The future looks bright and new treatments are being developed all the time. So, if it does return, I'll be able to receive treatments that are currently being developed through trials and research here in the UK and overseas.

Right here in Birmingham, there's a fantastic new blood cancer research and treatment facility being developed at the QE Hospital, led by Prof Charlie Craddock with the support of Cure Leukaemia. It's called the Birmingham Institute of Haematology.

I've committed to completing the 100-mile Velo Birmingham cycling challenge in September as one of the few things I can do to show my appreciation for the care I've had from the NHS, and raise a few bob too.

I'll be honest - the prospect of a 100-mile ride through the hills and valleys of the Midlands doesn't fill me with glee. It's going to be tough for a bloke of my advanced years. And I don't look good in lycra. But it's got to be done.

Any money I raise will help to fund this amazing new unit which will lead the fight to find new treatments, maybe even cures, for these terrible cancers. So, please donate a fiver (or more) and help save lives.

Cure Leukaemia (CL) helps to save lives now and hasten global progress towards eradicating blood cancer within the next 30 years. CL supports the internationally significant Centre for Clinical Haematology in Birmingham and a network of specialist research nurses across the UK who administer often world first and potentially life-saving clinical trials to leukaemia patients who have exhausted standard treatments. In 2017, Cure Leukaemia is committed to raising an additional £1m to double the Centre's capacity for patients, trials and nurses.