So Rupert Swan, Jack Maynard and I have decided to take part in a Tough Mudder on the 21st August to help raise money and awareness for oesophageal cancer. The incidence of oesophageal cancer is increasing faster than any cancer in the Western world, and together with stomach cancer kills more than 10 000 people each year in England. There have been huge improvements in the treatment of oesophageal cancer in the last decade, but despite significant improvements in outcomes from these treatments, the survival is still worse than from many other cancers.

It takes a long time to recover from treatment for these cancers and the Oxford Oesophageal and Stomach Organisation (OOSO) has been set up to provide support to patients (and their relatives) undergoing treatment for oesophageal and stomach cancer in the Oxford Cancer Centre. It is run by patients who have had oesophageal or stomach cancer, and the support OOSO provides is now an integral part of the care these patients receive. The money we raise will go towards supporting OOSO, a project my old man is largely part of, and the funding of particular projects to improve patient care in the Oxford Upper GI Centre at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.

For those of you who have are not familiar with a Tough Mudder, it is a gruelling 12 mile mud and obstacle course designed to take you out of your comfort zone and really test what you've got in the tank!

All donations, big or small, are fully appreciated. Lets all help raise the big bucks for charity which is close to our hearts!