Thank you very much for visiting my fundraising page. 

Please sponsor my fifth, and final, fundraising triathlon for the charity War Child, in which, at 74, I'll be the oldest taking part. So far over my five triathlons I've raised more than £21,000. 

I'm doing it in memory of my Dad, Bill Power, who was killed-in-action, during the Normandy landings in World War Two. This year is the 75^th anniversary of the landings, and there will be many commemorative events, so this is an opportunity to remember his personal sacrifice.

And here's a short (less than a minute and a half) video the War Child made about me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUpgeUvkQR4

ABOUT MY DAD He was killed, age 31, on 8 July 1944 during a fierce battle on the day that that Caen was liberated during Operation Charnwood. I never knew him as I was born three months after he was killed, which is why as an aged ‘war child’ I’m so committed to raising money for the charity WAR CHILD. 

My Dad landed on Gold Beach in Normandy, he was a Battery Commander in the Royal Artillery’s 68 Anti Tank Regiment. Just 10 days later he was killed-in-action. Coincidentally he had written a letter to my Mum, and my brother Max (then nearly five), that very morning, dated 8/7/44, he wrote:

". . . it won’t be long before we are together again, if Jerry was a decent sport he would know he was beaten and pack in now. I’m still feeling fine and getting along alright, don’t worry about me this job isn’t so difficult after all, I’ve had much tougher times on schemes.

Well darling I must close now, look after yourself and keep happy, all my love to my own two darlings.

Yours and Maxies’ . . . Bill

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx kisses for Maxie from Daddy” 

My Dad was a Lance Sergeant, and he and the men he went to France with were in action soon after they arrived. Nevertheless, all his letters back home were in the same carefree tone. Keep your spirits up, and keep the home fires burning. 

My Mum received a letter a week later from his troop commander telling her that he had been killed. She remained a war widow for the next 62 years. She died in 2006. Soon after we carried out her final wish, which was to have her ashes buried with my Dad in the Hermanville War Cemetery in Normandy. So finally they are together again.

MY SWIM BIKE RUN This is my last appeal for triathlon sponsorship for War Child. If you help me reach my fundraising target this year we’ll have raised the grand total of £20,000 over my five triathlons. Quite an achievement I’m sure you’ll agree.

Last year I completed the course in London’s Victoria docks (swim 750 metres, bike 20k, run 5K) in 2 hours 16 minutes, which was my best time so far. I’d like to do better this year, but as always just finishing is the main objective. So please encourage me to do better and sponsor me.

Thanks for all the support you’ve given in previous years. And thanks reading.

Best wishes 

Mike