A very Happy New Year and I hope it will be a memorable one for you and yours. Many thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. This is my first foray into this arena so I'm quite excited if a tad daunted too.

On Thursday 6 February, I will be selling The Big Issue for one hour on the streets of Glasgow as part of the first-ever Big Sell-Off. Coincidentally on that very day I shall reach three score years and ten, which in itself is quite daunting too (yes,I know its only a number!).

To explain, The Big Sell-Off is being organised by Glasgow-based charity INSP (International Network of Street Papers) and The Big Issue. The aim is to raise awareness of homelessness, boost Big Issue vendor morale and sales and raise funds for both INSP and The Big Issue.

It promises to be quite competitive and I'll be vying with an assorted group of over 20 celebrities, CEOs, media executives, and government ministers who will all be trying their hand at selling The Big Issue on the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The money raised will go towards INSP's work of supporting street papers around the world to start up, grow and develop so that they can provide homeless and unemployed people with a way to earn an income and improve their lives. It will also help The Big Issue to provide winter clothes and essentials to support its vendors at a particularly hard time of year.

I hope you agree INSP is a worthwhile and practical charity, helping people to help themselves. 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. Moreover once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity, thus saving time and cutting costs.

So please give as generously as you can. Also by all means share this message with any friends or colleagues who you think might be moved to help homeless people help themselves. I will be eternally grateful and promise one and all a full and candid account, and perhaps even some photographic evidence, of my day on the front line..

With all best wishes,

Andrew