Once again I'm proud to be raising much needed funds for the Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem, particularly known throughout the world for its paediatric, heart, emergency and research departments, and which stands as a beacon of peace and harmony in a troubled region. Politics do not enter its gates - Muslims, Christians, Jews and other religions are all treated equally in a harmonious co-existence irrespective of their ethnic and cultural diversity, and both patients and staff come from every sector of the multi-faceted population of Israel and globally.

The hospital has been for many years and continues to be a giant in the world of medical research and disaster recovery by:-

- Collaborating and sharing medical research techniques with many UK and global hospitals for cancer, heart, paediatric and other specialist care. More recently the hospital has provided extensive technical assistance to Great Ormond Street Hospital for specialist paediatric care.

- Providing humanitarian relief programmes and field hospitals for disasters such as in the Philippines, Japan, Haiti, Nepal and more recently for tens of thousands of Syrian refugees.

- Training doctors and hospitals worldwide in new healthcare techniques and programmes. During the past year the hospital began an extensive exercise to train Cardiologists from Ethiopia.

On Sunday 29 July, I will be cycling 100 miles within London and Surrey, faced with a target time of under 7 hours! A huge challenge for my little legs and my ‘one year older' dodgy left knee, but nothing compared to the challenges faced by Shaare Zedek each and every day. 

Every penny you donate will be spent wisely on anyone who knocks at their door both locally and globally.