Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am raising money for both Sparks and Help for Heroes through the Rotary Club by completing the UK Ironman 70.3 race in June 2011.

Please find the below extracts motivating and moving:

"Sparks was founded by professional sports people who were grateful for their own good health and who wanted to help those who are less fortunate.

Our vision is a world where all babies are given the best possible start in life and where a medical condition or disability at birth is not a barrier to opportunity and fulfillment.

Our aim is to achieve this by funding high quality medical research that is intended to have a practical and positive effect on the lives of children."

and from Help for Heroes:

"It's about the blokes, our men and women of the Armed Forces. It's about Derek, a rugby player who has lost both his legs, it's about Carl whose jaw is wired up so he has been drinking through a straw. It's about Richard who was handed a mobile phone as he lay on the stretcher so he could say goodbye to his wife.  It's about Ben, it's about Ben, it's about Steven and Andy and Mark, it's about them all.  They are just blokes but they are our blokes; they are our heroes. We want to help our heroes."

I only took up triathlons in January 2010.  This will be my first Ironman 70.3 event and the longest I have raced to date - 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.2km running.  It has been classified as the hardest Ironman 70.3 event by Chris 'Macca' McCormack - 2x Ironman World Champion, 2007 & 2010.

I am ex British Army and had to leave due to developing a potentially serious back injury which could have stopped me doing sports entirely.  I have always been active but having an injury has made me more determined to overcome it and now I wish to race as a professional triathlete in the near future and help those less fortunate than me.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. 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.

So please dig deep and donate now.