Thanks for visiting my Justgiving page. I will running this year's Virgin London Marathon on 25th April 2010 for the British Skin Foundation. As a Professor of Dermatology at the University of Manchester and Consultant Dermatologist at Salford Royal Hospital, I am only too aware of the effects that skin diseases have on people’s lives.

I'm aiming to raise £80,000 for the British Skin Foundation. That's a penny for every person in the UK who loves someone with a skin disease. If I manage to raise that, it will be a tremendous feat for both me and the charity.

The British Skin Foundation is the only national charity that supports and funds research into all skin conditions. Skin disease is a lot more common than most people think, affecting up to a quarter of the population at any one time and now accounts for more GP visits than any other group of diseases.  Many chronic skin diseases such as psoriasis and eczema are incurable and can kill if severe enough.

In 2008, 3742 people died from a skin disease in the UK. A recent study in 2009 showed that the UK still has one of the highest levels of childhood eczema anywhere in the world. Clearly there is a long way to go in terms of fully understanding and finding cures for a lot of the diseases that blight the lives of millions in the UK.

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.

Many thanks

Chris