Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Every penny you give is much appreciated and very gratefully received.

I first ran the Great North Run in 2000 (after years of almost getting around to it!), and have raised money for Cancer Research UK, the Stroke Association, Great Ormond Street Hospital, and Get Kids Going in the ten races since (I had to miss 2010 thanks to my medical problems). My fastest time is a so-so 1 hour 55 minutes and 40 seconds.

I was diagnosed with early prostate cancer in January this year, after six months of mild symptoms, suspicious blood tests and borderline biopsy results. I have had to wait for a hopefully curative operation because of my longstanding irregular heartbeat, which needed correcting first, and I received the all-clear for this operation in late June, from Papworth Hospital.

I hope to have the operation in early August, and to be fit enough to do the Great North Run in September. It might be the Great North Walk, depending on how quickly I recover!

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. Thank you very much indeed.