For those who may not know me very well (or even those that do!) this might seem a bit of a random charity for me to be helping, but it's not.

In early 1997, when I was 14, I was diagnosed with M.E. (or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as it’s otherwise known), which left me trapped in bed for the best part of 2 1/2 years. This caused me to miss the last 2 years of school, lose contact with friends and generally left feeling completely alone with no real hope for the future, with the very real prospect of never regaining full health.

There was, and still is, very little known about the illness and there was also a definite, dismissive, stigma attached to it. In the early days, before we found this charity, doctors would advise that exercise was the best remedy, that it was psychological and I needed to just snap out of it. In fact the exact opposite is the case and, thanks to this charity, we discovered that advice would make it worse. The guilt and frustration that this view caused was horrible. Family and friends didn’t understand, no one really had an answer and there really wasn’t much hope for the future. How can you start recovering from something that doesn’t exist?

But then Action For M.E. came along and my life started to change. They provided essential information on understanding the illness, great advice and, most of all, a feeling that you’re not alone. I was suddenly aware that there are other people the same as myself, it’s not 'all in my head'. We felt we could push for an official diagnosis and an acceptance that is a genuine illness. The charity also put us in touch with some great people, who helped me massively, and the road to recovery started to begin.

It took a long time, with many set backs along the way, but I am very lucky to have made a full recovery. Whilst never taking my health for granted, I’m determined to make the most of it.

To this extent I’ve been cycling and running around like a nutter in recent years, this year especially so. I ran my first Marathon in April (on my birthday!) and I’ve broken time barriers in various running distances which I thought were way beyond me. I’ve cycled as much as I could, including a 143 mile round trip to work and back, including doing a full days work in between (with some other equally nutty cycle club mates). I've also booked in to my second marathon later this year at Beachy Head. I’ve trained hard, pushed myself as hard as I could, through all weathers and many injuries. I probably should have been sponsored for most of those events!

So this time, I am, for a charity that is very important to me personally. I will also be aiming to finish the 100 miles in under 5 hours (at a minimum) averaging over a 20mph.

My Club Grappa cycle club mate and friend Jacob Barker has also very kindly offered to help me raise money for my chosen charity and will be riding with me.

The money we are aiming to raise will really make a difference to peoples lives. I'm evidence of that.