Please – before you click off this page, dismissing the cause because my chosen charity is not Cancer Research, Great Ormond Street or Macmillan, please do read on.

I have chosen to donate to the British Humanist Association because it zealously supports a controversial cause for which I feel very strongly and which I do not think receives the public awareness or discussion that it deserves.

The BHA campaigns for the legalisation of euthanasia, giving terminally ill people (or otherwise) the right to die with dignity.

In England, if you have a terminal or degenerative illness, or are permanently severely handicapped or disabled, you will be denied your wish to end your life, and those who assist you face prosecution. Previously, families have travelled to countries such as Switzerland, where the laws allow those who are mentally sound to end their life quickly, painlessly, in peace and most importantly with dignity.

In my mind, our lives are our own, and just as we’re all entitled to live them as we wish in our free country, we should all be entitled to end our lives if we so choose, should a reasonable circumstance present itself. Of course, this is a controversial issue and many measures must be put in place to ensure that every case is a sound one, but in today’s society, I can barely believe that this is an issue still to be properly addressed and legalised.

For some, euthanasia might seem a very drastic answer to a difficult predicament, but while some are strong enough to cope and adjust their lives around the debilitating suffering caused by injuries and illness, others are not. It is these people, the ones who do not have the strength to carry on - that the BHA’s campaign will benefit most. These people do not deserve to be questioned, judged or seen as cowards for choosing to end their lives of pain and mental anguish.

Here is a link to Dignity in Dying, the main campaign fighting for legislation in the UK: http://www.dignityindying.org.uk/

And here's a link to the BHA's page for assisted dying: https://humanism.org.uk/campaigns/public-ethical-issues/assisted-dying/

On a different note:

As mentioned, in order to raise money for the BHA, I will be undertaking 2015’s Tough Mudder in Henley. Oh my good grief, you lot, how am I going to survive?! 

Tough Mudder is a 12-mile-long assault course, unlike anything I’ve ever done before and which will push me to my very limit. The most I’ve ever traversed to this day is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand (20k) – a great deal of which was climbing mountain ranges, nonetheless, I’m sure it’ll be nothing compared to Tough Mudder.

At present, I have virtually no upper body strength at all and can barely jog, so I’m certainly glad that I’ll have eight months to train for this momentous ordeal. Still, it’s something great to work for and hopefully I can raise a penny or two while I’m at it. 

Last year I ran the 10k Race for Life and raised £455 for Cancer Research. Let's aim just as high this time!