My name is Andy Knott, the CEO of the League Against Cruel Sports. Five years ago I joined the charity as a volunteer to help stop dog fighting. I’ve been working with my team and supporters to stop hunting, shooting and other cruel sports ever since.

My challenge this year will be to carry a 10kg weight around a course of steep and uneven terrain on our flagship wildlife reserve on Exmoor a total of 100 times. It’s a place where every year, hundreds of deer seek sanctuary from hunters on horseback who chase them down.

Trying to push myself beyond my limits will be as close as I can get to the breathlessness and pain most animals feel when being chased, raced or made to fight. But unlike them I will not be frightened and nor will I die a grisly death.

I am no runner. And actually, I need a double hip replacement having needed crutches to walk in the past. 100 circuits carrying a 10kg weight is going to hurt, but that’s nothing compared to what millions of animals in this county are forced to endure for human ‘fun’. Enough is enough!

Please consider sponsoring me. The League has already brought a myriad of protections for animals, including a ban on hunting with dogs, increasing prison sentences for the worst animal cruelty from six months to five years, and persuading some of the UK’s largest landowners to stop cruel sports taking place on their land, spanning millions of acres.

Your generous donations will be spent on stopping cruel animal sports including investigating dog fighting offences, banning caged bird breeding, and snaring, and strengthening hunting legislation. We want to speak for animals and your support will make such a difference to millions of animals.

Please wish me luck – at my age I am going to need it!