I am far from an alcoholic but everyone that knows me knows that I love a bevvy. I've made the decision to go sober for a while. I want it to be a little bit more than just proving a point and  give a little back to a charity close to me and my family's heart by doing so.

The majority of people reading this will know about my niece Charlotte, who sadly lost her life to a rare genetic condition on the 3rd of May 2017.

My brother John, his fiancé Jenna and Charlotte spent much of Charlottes life in the amazing Bubble Ward, of the Great North Children's Hospital in Newcastle. A ward made possible by this charity. And they were provided a House to live in during this time by the charity as well. 

Initially I said I was going to stay sober for a year, but Jenna thought it would be more fitting if I was to give up alcohol for the same amount of time that Charlotte was with us. 

Charlotte was with us from the 10th of June 2016 until the 3rd of May 2017. Which was a period of 327 days, many of them smiley!

So, my birthday is a Saturday this year. On Sunday the 17th of June (not including the early hours) I will give up alcohol until the 10th of May 2019. Seeing as I'm a Hearts fan and this involves the vast majority of the football season, this is not going to be an easy task.

I'm obviously going to benefit financially myself by doing this, so I am going to fire the odd donation to Rachel House Children's Hospice on top of this as they have also helped us a lot and continue to do so.

If you can donate that would be great. No donation is too small.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.