So here we are again. Would you believe it has been a whole year since we did the short walk from Aylesbury to Coventry in memory of my amazing Dad, who passed away 2 years ago next week.

For the anniversary this year, only three weeks ago I was hatching a hair brained plan to cycle 200-odd miles in a day, climb the 3 peaks in 6 hours, swim the channnel there and back, moonwalk to the North Pole. You know the usual sort of fundraising activity that goes on .... then suddenly our whole world got turned upside down overnight on the 7th July when a truly great man was taken from us.

Al Delo. Not only was he my best friend's Dad, he was my Dad's best friend and he was my friend too. He passed away suddenly due to suffering a stroke which has left a massive hole in all our lives which we are now coming to terms with. The impact has been felt most by his family, who have done him proud, but I will personally miss going up to Broadstreet with him and having a pint whilst watching the lads play rugby and will cherish the numerous Jolly Boys Outings we shared with the real ale drinkers.

With him departing so recently it is all still very raw but some comfort we can take is that Al and Lee are probably now already on the magical train in the sky on the way to somewhere to find a Weatherspoons for a cheap pint and some brekkie together .....

Anyway enough of the soppy stuff and on with the show.

It just didn't feel right to do a ridiculous challenge this year that would exclude most of my (sane) friends from joining in, that can wait till next year, so we have set ourselves the realistic target of climbing up Mount Snowdon and raising a toast to Alan when we reach the summit. There are going to be more people involved this year too. Many more. Ten in total! They are: Tony Delo - Chief Mountaineer, Steve Bott, Noel Chatterjee, Marc Cockerton, Cameron Gilfillan, Kevin Hart, Dave Moseley, Lee Pantlin, Neil Rushton and me.

The date is set for Saturday 25th August. With it being only 4 weeks away, some of the motley crew above (including me) will need to get into training sharpish to work off that developing summer beer gut in order to make it to the peak! We are in no doubt that we probably won't break the world record time for reaching the top but we will definitely all make it up there together and will be thinking of Al when we do.

Strokes are not something that I know a lot about, even though my Dad had a mini one 8 months before he left, but we have now seen first hand the devastation they can cause. Therefore this challenge is most importantly to raise awareness for the Stroke Association who carry out fantastically important work up and down the country every year. If our trekking team can also raise some sponsorship money that can be donated to support the charity at the same time then that can't be a bad thing can it? So if you would like to donate, please do. Even if it is just a few quid, it will all add up.

We will keep you all updated on progress leading up to the climb and also share the stories and pictures with you from the day itself. Best wishes, Ross.